Georgia defense attorney subpoenaed to appear before state committee investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis

By Nick Valencia, Jason Morris and Zachary Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — Defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant has been subpoenaed to appear before a Georgia state Senate committee hearing on Wednesday as it investigates the actions of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Merchant confirmed to CNN that she had been subpoenaed for the hearing, which will be livestreamed.

The Georgia legislative committee, formed in January to investigate the Fulton County District Attorney, said they planned to issue subpoenas as they investigate Willis, the Democratic state prosecutor who brought the racketeering case against Donald Trump and his allies for their actions after the 2020 election.

Merchant, the defense attorney for a Trump co-defendant, is the first person to be issued a subpoena by the committee. She initially launched the allegations of an improper relationship against Willis and Nathan Wade, the lead prosecutor on the case. The controversy has threatened to undermine the case against Trump in Georgia.

At the committee’s first meeting in February, state Sen. Bill Cowsert, the Republican chairman, laid out plans for subpoenas and depositions as part of the investigation into alleged misconduct by Willis.

Cowsert said the panel already has heard from “whistleblowers” but did not elaborate on what information they provided. He said the committee intends to dig into any credible allegations, no matter how long the investigation takes.

The-CNN-Wire
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