In a court motion filed Tuesday, Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis (D) asked for attorney Kimberly Bourroughs Debrow, who represents 10 of the alternative Republican voters, to be removed from of “any further involvement” in the case. Prosecutors claimed that Debrow committed an ethical violation by representing multiple clients simultaneously — including voters who “made malicious claims” against other voters Debrow represented, which prosecutors said it was a clear conflict of interest.
The filing mentions interviews Fulton County prosecutors conducted on April 12 and April 14 with some of the voters represented by Debrow, which Debrow attended.
“During these interviews, some of the constituents stated that another constituent represented by Ms. Debrow had committed acts that violated Georgia law and that they were not party to these additional acts,” the said filing. “Additionally, in these interviews, some of the voters represented by Ms. Debrow told members of the investigative team that no potential immunity offer was brought to them in 2022.”
Prosecutors said the claims “directly contradict” statements made in court last year by attorney Holly Pierson, who previously served as Debrow’s co-counsel in the case. Pierson told a judge that they informed their clients of the immunity offers made by Willis’ office as prosecutors seek their testimony before a special-purpose grand jury that was set up to investigate the alleged interference in the 2020 election.
Debrow did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Pierson — who now represents only one of the constituents, Georgia Republican Party Chair David Shafer — said the prosecution’s allegations were “absolutely false” and that the court “has documents in its possession … that proved the DA’s allegations to be false.”
“Unfortunately, the DA’s office continues to seem more interested in media attention, trampling on the constitutional rights of innocent citizens, and recklessly discrediting its perceived opponents than facts, law, or truth, ” Pierson said in an email.
The motion comes as Willis has signaled that he is close to making public his decision on whether to press charges in the high-stakes investigation, which has ensnared not only Trump and some of his closest associates. aide and ally but a litany of prominent Republicans including ex. New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (RS.C.) and several top officials in Georgia, including Governor Brian Kemp (R), who are the target of Trump’s lobbying to overturn Joe Biden’s narrow victory in the state.
Willis, a longtime Fulton County prosecutor who was elected district attorney in 2020, launched his investigation into alleged election interference just days after a recording of a phone call was made public in January 2021 that Trump made with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger urging him to “find” enough votes to overturn Trump’s loss in Georgia.
It was one of several calls Trump and his colleagues made to Georgia officials, prompting them to make efforts to change the results of the state’s presidential election, which Trump lost to the left. 12,000 votes.
But Willis has indicated publicly and in court filings that his office’s investigation has expanded to include several other lines of inquiry, including false claims of election fraud made by Giuliani and others. Trump associates with Georgia state legislators; threats and harassment targeting election workers in Georgia; and the alternative Republican voters.
Willis and his team are said to be closely scrutinizing not only Trump’s phone calls but what he knew and the role he played in efforts including voter fraud. Willis indicated that he is looking at Georgia’s broad anti-racketeering law as he considers whether Trump and his allies conspired to violate the law in seeking to overturn the state’s election results.
Willis told The Washington Post last year that he and other prosecutors had heard credible allegations that serious crimes had been committed and that he believed some people could face prison sentences. .
At least 18 people have been notified that they are targets of the election interference investigation, according to court documents and statements from their lawyers. That list includes Giuliani and a slate of 16 alternative Republican voters.
Last year, Willis asked for voter testimony before a special grand jury, but only one was identified among the 75 witnesses who appeared on the panel.
Last year, prosecutors fought to block Pierson and Debrow from simultaneously representing 11 GOP voters, describing it as a violation of legal and ethical rules.
In November, Judge Robert McBurney, who presided over the special grand jury, ruled that Shafer could not share an attorney with 10 other voters represented by Pierson and Debrow. At that time, Pierson took Shafer’s case, while Debrow represented the other group.
Legal fees for Shafer and the 10 voters were paid by the Georgia Republican Party.
Willis’ filing Tuesday indicated that some of the voters who have been reluctant to testify in the case may be cooperating with the investigation — though it was not immediately clear whether that was because they were granted immunity or if someone provided information beyond interviews. with the prosecutors.
A spokesman for Willis declined to comment.
The special grand jury was dissolved in January after issuing a final report of its findings. That report remains largely sealed to protect the rights of “potential future defendants,” according to McBurney.
But Emily Kohrs, the panel’s forewoman, said the grand jury recommended indicting many people. He declined to say whether they were with Trump — citing McBurney’s instruction to keep jury deliberations private until prosecutors decide whether to file charges — but also told reporters that the public would not ” shocked” by the panel’s recommendations given news about the case.
Last month, Trump’s Georgia-based legal team – Drew Findling, Jennifer Little and Marissa Goldberg – seized on Kohrs’ public comments about the grand jury proceedings as they filed a motion to quash the panel’s report and block prosecutors from using any evidence gathered during the investigation. . They argued the panel was “unconstitutional” and violated Trump’s due process rights.
Trump’s lawyers also sought to remove Willis and his office from the case along with McBurney — suggesting he gave bad advice to the grand jury. McBurney, who continues to oversee the case, ordered prosecutors to file a response with Trump’s legal team by May 1.
Willis has said little publicly about his timeline for possibly bringing a lawsuit. In January, Willis told McBurney in a court hearing that charging decisions were “imminent,” but he later clarified to a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he did not mean he would announce the decisions. at any time.
Tuesday’s filing indicated that the investigation into Willis remains active, and a source close to the case said prosecutors are continuing to review evidence as Willis nears his public announcement of potential charges. .
To be charged, Willis must present his case to a regular grand jury which, unlike a special-purpose grand jury, has the power to bring criminal charges. In Fulton County, grand jury terms begin every two months. The next panels are scheduled to begin in the first week of May.
