Targeted Georgia official demands recusal in Trump investigation
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Elijah Nouvelage/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Georgia Republican lawmaker who is a target of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' investigation into the 2020 election is calling on Willis to recuse herself from his prosecution.
Why it matters: State Sen. Burt Jones was among a group of false electors Republicans organized after Georgia's 2020 election to "certify" a victory for then-President Trump.
Several of those false electors have received letters from Willis's office informing them they could be indicted during the investigation, as first reported by Yahoo! News.
- Jones was also a leading voice calling for a special legislative session after the November 2020 election, which Georgia's top officials rejected as unconstitutional.
Driving the news: In a filing Friday, Jones, who is running for lieutenant governor, called the DA's decision to target him "a blatant effort to sway the outcome of the election."
- Willis has headlined multiple fundraisers for Jones' Democratic opponent Charlie Bailey as early as last month, and donated money to his campaign earlier this year.
- Bailey, a former prosecutor, worked with Willis in the Fulton DA's office.
Jones is also requesting Fulton's special prosecutor Nathan Wade be disqualified, because he has also donated to Bailey's campaign.
What they're saying: “Burt is trying to distract from the fact he attempted to overthrow the United States Government," said Bailey campaign spokesman Jake Orvis.
- "Unfortunately, Burt’s attempted coup disqualifies him from teaching a middle school social studies class, much less serving in office.”
- Jones’ campaign spokesman Stephen Lawson said of the filing: “Burt is more than happy to perform his civic duty and answer questions—but not from a prosecutor with such blatant conflicts of interest.”
