ATLANTA — The man who was once the special prosecutor against President Donald Trump refused to testify to a Georgia Senate committee Friday.
But he says he will testify, eventually.
Channel 2’s Richard Elliot said the chair of that committee believes Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office should pay a $17 million legal bill.
Under Georgia law, if a DA is disqualified from a case and then the charges are dismissed, the DA’s office and county taxpayers are on the hook to pay the defendants’ legal fees.
Willis says she can’t pay the $17 million bill.
On Friday, the senator investigating Willis’ prosecution says she should.
Senators gathered at 9 a.m., but by 9:05 a.m., it was obvious that former special prosecutor Nathan Wade was a no show at the Senate special investigative committee looking into Fulton County’s prosecution of Trump and the others election interference defendants.
The chair of the Republican-controlled committee said they’re working with Wade and another witness to testify at a later date.
“They’ve been served and acknowledged as being agreed that they’re going to honor them, that they’re going to appear. They’re just working out a convenient time for both the committee and those witnesses and their attorney,” said state Sen. Bill Cowsert, R-Athens
The committee is looking into Willis’ prosecution of Trump and the others, and say it will use that information to create new legislation governing the conduct of state prosecutors.
Augusta Democratic state Sen. Harold Jones cautions about moving too quickly.
“i will say this. We ought to be careful. We ought to go slow. I don’t think anything was brought up today is something that we need to try and figure out this year,” he said.
A new state law allows Trump and the others to seek legal fees from Willis’ office.
But in this filing, Willis said that $17 million is “a suitably preposterous sum for a surreal and unprecedented legal proceeding” and asked a judge to throw it out.
Cowsert said he believes the defendants deserve the money…even if it comes from Fulton County taxpayers.
“I’m sure those defendants couldn’t afford it either. They spent millions of dollars defending a case that was brought by a prosecutor who was disqualified from the case for improper conduct, and then the charges were dismissed as groundless charges,” he said.
The state essentially dismissed the case because it couldn’t find a county district attorney willing and able to take on this massive case.
Wade is expected to make his appearance before the end of the legislative session in early April.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
TRENDING STORIES:
- Recall alert: Salmon sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club recalled for possible Listeria contamination
- Students raise concerns over male staff member living in dorm at all-women Spelman College
- 7-month-old killed, several injured in I-20 crash
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]