Georgia Senator Demanding Fani Willis Investigation Suspended by Republicans

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 14, 2023. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Georgia state senator Colton Moore, a Republican who pushed for a special session to investigate and potentially defund Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, has now been suspended from his caucus. He failed to garner support from his fellow Republicans for such actions, and his caucus had warned him he was breaking the rules.

On Sept. 28, the Georgia Senate Republicans issued a statement on X (formerly Twitter) announcing Mr. Moore’s “indefinite” suspension from the Republican caucus.

“Despite the fact that 32 of 33 Republican State Senators, the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party agree that a Special Session to take action against the Fulton County District Attorney is impossible, Senator Moore has a right to his opinion,” they stated.

“However, during his advocacy for his ill-conceived proposal, Senator Moore has knowingly misled people across Georgia and our nation, causing unnecessary tension and hostility, while putting his Caucus colleagues and their families at risk of personal harm,” the statement reads.

He has not been suspended from his elected office, only from caucusing with the Republican majority.

The caucus also pointed out that though its members disagree with Mr. Moore’s proposal to investigate Ms. Willis, and strongly, his position is not the reason for his suspension. Mr. Moore indicated this was not true.

“Senator Moore was informed that he has violated multiple Caucus Rules on multiple occasions and was given every opportunity to simply adhere to the Rules going forward, not to abandon his wrongheaded policy position,” they stated, without indicating which rules were broken.

“Unfortunately, he has refused and was suspended by Leadership from participating in the Caucus until he agrees to abide by the Rules which he voted for at the beginning of the term,” the statement reads. “The Majority Caucus understands that we are stronger when unified and hopes Senator Moore will rejoin  us in the future as we continue delivering winning conservative policy solutions for our state.”

Moore Response

Mr. Moore spoke out after leaving the state capitol on Thursday.

“The knives are out,” Mr. Moore said on Steve Bannon’s podcast. “They have cut me out of the Republican caucus. The most MAGA [Make America Great Again], the most Republican, hardest fighting senator against Fani Willis, they decided to oust from the Republican caucus today, it’s unbelievable.”

Mr. Moore claimed that his fellow senators’ constituents also “want them to take action against Fani Willis.”

“My constituents don’t want their tax dollars funding Fani Willis,” he said.

On Aug. 14, a grand jury handed up a 98-page indictment that charged former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and 40 other crimes. Ms. Willis is prosecuting the case, and claims the 19 defendants’ actions in challenging the 2020 election results constituted a “racketeering criminal enterprise conspiracy.” All 19 have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He said he has “never felt more liberated” though he’s been ousted from the caucus. “I will continue fighting, being the most pro-MAGA senator this state has ever seen.”

Mr. Moore told Mr. Bannon that his colleagues told him comments he made on his show “have caused threats to fellow senators” but that they showed him no examples.

He said they told him he could stay in the caucus if he stopped trying to call for the special session.

“I am not going to regulate my freedom of speech in defense of freedom itself, that’s what got us into this mess to start with,” he said, claiming the 19 defendants are being charged for actions that should be protected under the First Amendment.

Special Session Proposal

Days after the indictment of President Trump and 18 others, Mr. Moore accused Ms. Willis of corruption.

“As a Georgia State Senator, I am officially calling for an emergency session to review the actions of Fani Willis,” he said in a statement calling on Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp to call a special session to investigate Ms. Willis.

“Corrupt District Attorney Fani Willis is potentially abusing her position of power by pursuing former President Donald J. Trump, and I am calling on my colleagues in the Georgia legislature to join me in calling for an emergency session to investigate and review her actions and determine if they warrant impeachment.”

Mr. Moore would have needed the support of three-fifths of both chambers of the state legislature, but as of Sept. 6 he said he only had three signatures.

“Republicans are the ones standing in the way,” he said at the time, adding that he would not let his colleagues “get in the way” to bring forth an investigation.

Separately, House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is also investigating Ms. Willis for potentially bringing a politically motivated case against federal officers, including the former President of the United States.

Mr. Jordan accused Ms. Willis of pursuing the case to advance “her own notoriety,” and said Congress has a legislative interest in perhaps amending or clarifying statutes to protect federal officers from such prosecution by a county or state attorneys.