Georgia prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump for alleged interference in the 2020 election received clandestine assistance from the House committee probing the January 6 Capitol riot, according to confidential sources within the committee. The revelation sheds light on a previously undisclosed collaboration between the two entities.
In mid-April 2022, committee staff engaged in a face-to-face meeting with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her team, preceding the convening of a special grand jury to scrutinize Trump’s actions. Although the committee allowed prosecutors limited access to collected evidence, they were not permitted to retain it.
Over the following months, multiple phone conversations transpired between committee staff and prosecutors, providing insights into Trump’s alleged scheme to install counterfeit electors and his pressure tactics on Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. These discussions laid the groundwork for charges filed by Willis in August 2022 against Trump and 14 associates.
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The timing of these interactions has been substantiated by exhibits in recently disclosed court documents related to Willis’ case.
The collaboration between the committee and prosecutors remained undisclosed until recently when House Republicans pressed Willis to disclose her communications with the committee. In response, Willis rebuffed the request, citing concerns over federalism and separation of powers.
This cooperative effort stands in stark contrast to the committee’s refusal to share information with the Justice Department, which was concurrently investigating Trump’s election interference on the federal level. A significant factor in favoring the Fulton County prosecutors over federal counterparts was the potential necessity for federal prosecutors to disclose evidence in ongoing Jan. 6 insurrection-related trials.
Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson had previously acknowledged “staff-level contacts” but claimed ignorance about the extent of these interactions. Thompson, responding to recent revelations, clarified that he was unaware of the face-to-face meeting that transpired in the spring of 2022.
Willis’ office has yet to respond to requests for comment, while a former committee aide emphasized that information shared with prosecutors aligns with the committee’s final report, now public knowledge.
The extent of the committee’s assistance is expected to undergo scrutiny as Willis’ case progresses, highlighting the integral role played by the committee in initiating a criminal case against Trump. The Jan. 6 committee, established by the Democratic-controlled House in 2021, spent eighteen months probing Trump’s attempts to undermine the 2020 election, culminating in a comprehensive report and the public release of crucial evidence before disbanding at the close of 2022. The transmission of potential crime evidence from congressional committees to prosecutors is not an uncommon practice.
