Federal grand jury subpoenas travel records of Fulton County DA Fani Willis
Federal inquiry centers on Willis’ travel during the 2024 election cycle; investigators have not publicly identified a target.
A federal grand jury has issued a subpoena seeking the travel records of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, according to a person familiar with the matter. The subpoena was issued by the grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia and is tied to an inquiry conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the district, led by Theodore S. Hertzberg. It seeks details of Willis’ travel in the fall of 2024, around the time of the presidential election, and the scope of the investigation, including whether Willis is a target, remains unclear.
Willis, who led the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants, was removed from the sprawling racketeering and influence case last December by the Georgia Court of Appeals, which cited the appearance of impropriety stemming from her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she had tapped to lead the prosecution. Last week, the Georgia Supreme Court denied Willis’ bid to get back on the case.
The travel subpoena comes as federal and state authorities have intensified scrutiny of the Trump case and Willis’ connections to the prosecution. Wade, who served as the court-appointed special prosecutor in the Trump case, was publicly known to have financed several trips with Willis during the investigation. He filed for divorce from his wife in 2021, the year he was hired by Willis. Bank records and court filings show Wade spent Fulton County funds on vacations that included Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruises, as well as trips to Napa Valley, Miami and Aruba. Records indicate Wade was paid roughly $654,000 in legal fees by the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office for his work on the Trump case in those years.
The Georgia case against Trump, announced in 2023, charged him and 18 others with schemes to overturn the state’s 2020 election results in Trump’s favor. Willis played a central role in the prosecution before her removal, and the case has since proceeded with other prosecutors in the office. The proceedings have kept Willis in the public eye as questions about ethics and independence linger around prosecutions tied to the 2020 election.
The timing of the subpoena comes one day after former FBI Director James Comey was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of making false statements and obstruction related to testimony he gave to Congress in September 2020. The development underscores the continuing succession of high-profile legal actions connected to national security and political authority.
A spokesman for Willis told the New York Times, "We have no knowledge of any investigation." The Justice Department, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
The latest disclosure adds another layer to the long-running scrutiny of the Trump matter and the people surrounding it. Observers say investigations of travel or related conduct involving prosecutors can be placeholders for broader inquiries about ethics, independence, or potential charges, though no charges have been announced against Willis in relation to the travel records.
