Posted on 10/12/2023 8:56:23 AM PDT by Red Badger
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) penned another fiery letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), again rebuffing his request for information about her prosecution of former President Trump and others involved in trying to block President Biden’s electoral victory in Georgia.
“A charitable explanation of your correspondence is that you are ignorant of the United States and Georgia Constitutions and codes,” she wrote in response to a late September letter from Jordan asserting she must answer questions about the investigation.
“A more troubling explanation is that you are abusing your authority as Chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary to attempt to obstruct and interfere with a Georgia criminal prosecution.”
Jordan initially wrote to Willis in August just hours before Trump appeared in a county jail, essentially asking her to turn over all documents and communications related to the case.
“Congress in general, and this Committee in particular, have a strong legislative interest in ensuring that popularly elected local prosecutors do not misuse their law-enforcement authority to target federal officials for political reasons,” he wrote last month.
“We can only conclude from your hostile response to the Committee’s oversight that you are actively and aggressively engaged in such a scheme.”
Willis on Wednesday said Jordan has already shown his hand in terms of his desire to interfere with this case.
“Indeed, you confessed to this motivation on Mark Levin’s September 10, 2023, show: when discussing one of my office’s active prosecutions, you boasted, ‘We’re trying to get all the answers, but we’re trying to stop this stuff as well,’” she wrote.
Willis once again did not spare in revealing irritation at Jordan’s request for information, noting she has already responded with information about federal grants they receive.
“We have already written a letter — which I have attached again for your reference — explaining why the legal positions you advance are meritless. Nothing you’ve said in your latest letter changes that fact,” she said, adding that his letter comes as “my team and I are exceptionally busy.”
“As I have explained, your requests implicate significant, well recognized confidentiality interests related to an ongoing criminal matter, as well as serious constitutional concerns regarding federalism and separation of powers.”
Put her in jail for contempt of Congress.
Big Fani dancin’ the Bubble Butt Jig again for her sugar daddy, der kleine führer, Georgie Soros.
exactly throw her in jail!
wouldn’t go calling people “ignorant “ if I was you, Shani’qua
I hope she learns the hard way that Jordan is correct.
fanni the serial power abuser is projecting!
And you respond with a Subpoena and Arrest Warrant, with the Sergeant At Arms leading the US Marshall’s to bring her before your committee forthwith.
“U.S. CODE
TITLE 2—THE CONGRESS
CHAPTER 6—CONGRESSIONAL AND COMMITTEE PROCEDURE; INVESTIGATIONS
Sec. 193. Privilege of witnesses
No witness is privileged to refuse to testify to any fact, or to produce any paper, respecting which he shall be examined by either House of Congress, or by any joint committee established by a joint or concurrent resolution of the two Houses of Congress, or by any committee of either House, upon the ground that his testimony to such fact or his production of such paper may tend to disgrace him or otherwise render him infamous.”
Simply look up Hinds Precedents, especially chapters 53 and 51, and Cannon’s Precedents, especially chapters 184-185. You’ll find numerous detailed cases of Congress asserting its power, arresting people, holding them until they agreed to answer questions, and then releasing them. Some of these people did not refuse to appear, but simply failed to satisfactorily answer questions.
Congress has the authority to arrest and imprison those found in Contempt. The power extends throughout the United States and is an inherent power (does not depend upon legislated act)
If found in Contempt the person can be arrested under a warrant of the Speaker of the House of Representatives or President of the Senate, by the respective Sergeant at Arms.
Statutory criminal contempt is an alternative to inherent contempt.
Under the inherent contempt power Congress may imprison a person for a specific period of time or an indefinite period of time, except a person imprisoned by the House of Representatives may not be imprisoned beyond adjournment of a session of Congress.
Imprisonment may be coercive or punitive.
Some references
[1] Joseph Story’s Commentaries on the Constitution, Volume 2, § 842 http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/print_documents/a1_5s21.html
[2] Anderson v. Dunn - 19 U.S. 204 - “And, as to the distance to which the process might reach, it is very clear that there exists no reason for confining its operation to the limits of the District of Columbia; after passing those limits, we know no bounds that can be prescribed to its range but those of the United States.” http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/19/204/case.html
[3] Jurney v. MacCracken, 294 U.S. 125 http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/294/125/case.html 73rd Cong., 78 Cong. Rec. 2410 (1934) https://archive.org/details/congressionalrec78aunit
[4] McGrain v. Daugherty, 273 U.S. 135 - Under a warrant issued by the President of the Senate the Deputy to the Senate Sergeant at Arms arrested at Cincinnati, Ohio, Mally S. Daugherty, who had been twice subpoenaed by the Senate and twice failed to appear. http://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/273/135/case.html
[5] Rules of the House of Representatives, Rule IV Duties of the Sergeant at Arms - [] execute the commands of the House, and all processes issued by authority thereof, directed to him by the Speaker. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/HMAN-105/pdf/HMAN-105-pg348.pdf
[6] An analysis of Congressional inquiry, subpoena, and enforcement http://www.constitutionproject.org/documents/when-congress-comes-calling-a-primer-on-the-principles-practices-and-pragmatics-of-legislative-inquiry/
In 1857, a New York Times reporter refused to say which members of Congress had asked him to get them bribes (protecting his “sources” just as various Judith Millers today protect the people who feed them proven lies that costs thousands of lives), so Congress locked him up until he answered and then banned him from Congress.
In 1924 an oil executive appeared but refused to answer certain questions, so the Senate held — literally held — him in contempt. Senator Thomas Walsh of Montana argued that this question of contempt was of the gravest importance, and that it involved “the very life of the effective existence of the House of Representatives of the United States and of the Senate of the United States.” The matter was taken to court, and the witness fined and imprisoned.
Willis didn’t write a thing.
One of her handlers did, probably somebody associated with Weissman or Garfinkel.
The absurdity of a county DA arresting the President for actions in office is beyond ludicrous. Federal supremacy was delineated clearly by Ed Meese’s brief to the 11th District Judge, who of course ignored it as he’s a juvenile clown appointed by his soul brudda Obammy.
We’ll see if Jordan has any spine and arrests her. I bet not.
Democrats HATE the idea of states. They want one gigantic Wash DC octopus to rule over all of us. So it’s laughable she is hiding behind federalism and states’ rights.
Seems Big Fani is taking on the Republicans.
She’s about to get a civics lesson she missed in HS................
We’ll see if Jordan has any spine and arrests her“
I can’t think of a single R who would have the stones to do that.
Fulton county is trying to start a race war.
It may be laughable, but it's also a good thing.
The balance between state and federal power will continue, and become even more important as time goes on.
When a far-left Democrat "hides behind federalism and states' rights," that's a good thing, if we can remember it the next time the Democrats accuse someone on our side of "wanting to but people back in chains" when we bring up the anti-federalist argument.
How can a member of Congress arrest anyone?
So she thinks she can ignore a subpoena by interpreting their thoughts on why they subpoenaed her
Congressional leaders can send the Sergeant At Arms to arrest and detain anyone who refuses to comply with a subpoena. So, a subpoena would be needed. As it is, this usually does not happen, but it is legal.
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