Georgia prosecutors leading the criminal case against former President Donald Trump and his associates over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election reportedly received assistance from an unexpected source—the House committee investigating the January 6 Capitol riot.
Sources, identified as two former officials of the Jan. 6 committee speaking on the condition of anonymity, disclosed that committee staff engaged with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her team in mid-April 2022, just before Willis convened a special grand jury to examine Trump’s actions. This revelation was reported by Politico on January 10, 2024.
During the meeting, the committee staff allowed the prosecutors to review a limited amount of evidence but did not permit them to retain the materials. Subsequently, there were several phone calls between the committee staff and the prosecutors, offering answers to questions and insights on crucial topics, such as Trump’s alleged plan to install fraudulent electors and his pressure campaign on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.
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These subjects became central to the charges filed by Willis against Trump and 14 others in August 2022. Additionally, the committee staff played a role in helping prosecutors prepare for interviews with key witnesses.
The timing of these interactions was confirmed by exhibits in newly released court documents related to Willis’ case.
This collaboration between the Jan. 6 committee and prosecutors became public knowledge recently when House Republicans pressed Willis to disclose her communications with the committee. Willis rebuffed their request, citing violations of “well-established principles of federalism and separation of powers” in a letter obtained by POLITICO last month.
Notably, the committee’s cooperation with Fulton County prosecutors contrasts with its refusal to share materials with the Justice Department, which was concurrently conducting a separate federal investigation into Trump’s alleged interference in the election. One reason cited for favoring the Fulton County prosecutors was the potential requirement for federal prosecutors to disclose evidence in ongoing trials related to the January 6 insurrection.
Jan. 6 committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) had previously acknowledged “staff-level contacts” with Fulton County prosecutors but was reportedly unaware of the extent of these interactions. The committee’s assistance to Willis is expected to face scrutiny as her case progresses.
The collaboration underscores the role of the Jan. 6 committee’s work in initiating a criminal case against Trump, potentially jeopardizing him. The committee, established by the Democratic-controlled House in 2021, spent a year and a half investigating Trump’s attempts to undermine the 2020 election, culminating in a detailed report released at the end of 2022, with most evidence made public. It is common for congressional committees to share evidence of potential crimes with prosecutors.
