{"id":2375772,"date":"2024-12-04T00:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T05:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/willis-must-turn-over-exchanges-with-jack-smith-j6-committee\/"},"modified":"2024-12-04T00:02:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-04T05:02:31","slug":"willis-must-turn-over-exchanges-with-jack-smith-j6-committee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/willis-must-turn-over-exchanges-with-jack-smith-j6-committee\/","title":{"rendered":"Willis Must Turn Over Exchanges With Jack Smith, J6 Committee"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwillis-must-turn-over-exchanges-with-jack-smith-j6-committee%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2375772&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent ruling \u2062by\u2062 Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney mandates that District Attorney Fani Willis must release all communications between\u200b her office, Special Counsel jack Smith, and the House\u200d Democrats&#8217; Jan. 6 Committee. \u2064This\u2064 decision comes\u2063 after Judicial \u2063Watch, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-nations-second-largest-teachers-union-influenced-cdc-on-school-reopening-guidelines-delayed-return-to-classrooms\/\" title=\"Report: Nation\u2019s Second Largest Teachers Union Influenced CDC On School Reopening Guidelines, Delayed Return To Classrooms\">conservative watchdog group<\/a>, filed a lawsuit alleging that Willis had violated\u2062 the Georgia Open Records Act by not <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-dismisses-lawsuit-against-gov-desantis-administration-over-illegal-immigrant-flights\/\" title=\"Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Gov. DeSantis&#039; Administration Over Illegal Immigrant Flights\">providing requested documents<\/a>. The court found\u2063 Willis \u2062&#8221;in \u2063default&#8221; for \u200cfailing to\u200b respond to the legal challenge, effectively supporting Judicial Watch&#8217;s claims.<\/p>\n<p>In his order, Judge McBurney highlighted that Willis did not seek to contest the default \u2064ruling,\u200b nor did she\u200b provide any valid\u2064 defense or \u200dpayment of associated costs.\u2062 The \u2062court&#8217;s decision requires Willis to\u200b search\u200b for and\u2062 produce the \u2064requested communications within five business \u2062days. A subsequent hearing is scheduled for December 20, \u2063wich will address\u200c Judicial\u200c Watch&#8217;s request for attorney fees and costs.<\/p>\n<p>Judicial Watch&#8217;s lawsuit initially stemmed from an\u2063 August \u200d2023\u200d request for records, which Willis&#8217;s office\u2062 denied. The group \u200cargued that her depiction of not\u200d having relevant\u2062 records might be false, \u2063particularly citing a fact-finding letter from the House Judiciary Committee suggesting collusion between\u2064 Willis\u200b and \u2063federal authorities in prosecuting former \u2062President Donald Trump and others.\u2064 The case marks\u2063 a significant moment, as \u2063it\u200b is reportedly the \u200dfirst instance in which a government official has been ruled in default for \u200bnot answering an open records lawsuit \u2062in \u200cJudicial\u200c Watch&#8217;s 30-year\u200c history.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=aGHjumOMWHA\">Fox 5 Atlanta\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/court-fani-willis-must-turn-over-communications-with-get-trump-special-counsel-j6-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Court:%20Fani%20Willis%20Must%20Turn%20Over%20Communications%20With%20%E2%80%98Get%20Trump%E2%80%99%20Special%20Counsel,%20J6%20Committee&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/court-fani-willis-must-turn-over-communications-with-get-trump-special-counsel-j6-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Court:%20Fani%20Willis%20Must%20Turn%20Over%20Communications%20With%20%E2%80%98Get%20Trump%E2%80%99%20Special%20Counsel,%20J6%20Committee&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/court-fani-willis-must-turn-over-communications-with-get-trump-special-counsel-j6-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/court-fani-willis-must-turn-over-communications-with-get-trump-special-counsel-j6-committee\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Court:%20Fani%20Willis%20Must%20Turn%20Over%20Communications%20With%20%E2%80%98Get%20Trump%E2%80%99%20Special%20Counsel,%20J6%20Committee&amp;body=Fulton%20County%20DA%20Fani%20Willis%20must%20turn%20over%20communications%20with%20Special%20Counsel%20Jack%20Smith%20and%20Democrats'%20Jan.%206%20Committee,%20a%20judge%20ruled.%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/12\/03\/court-fani-willis-must-turn-over-communications-with-get-trump-special-counsel-j6-committee\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must forfeit any and all communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and House Democrats&rsquo; Jan. 6 Committee, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wisconsin-supreme-court-takes-up-trump-lawsuit-days-ahead-of-electoral-college-vote\/\" title=\"Wisconsin Supreme Court Takes Up Trump Lawsuit Days Ahead of Electoral College Vote\">state judge ruled<\/a> on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>In his six-page order, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/JW-v-Willis-default-judgment-002805.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a> that Willis is &ldquo;in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/default\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">default<\/a>&rdquo; for failing to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">file court documents responding<\/a> to a legal challenge brought by Judicial Watch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-12ae44012b0badd1d22f0fa13f590fc7 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-12ae44012b0badd1d22f0fa13f590fc7\"><\/div>\n<p>The conservative watchdog group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/fani-willis-in-default\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">filed<\/a> a lawsuit against Willis in March after the Democrat district attorney denied having any of the records the group sought in an August 2023 open records request. That request aimed to obtain communications between her office and the special counsel and\/or the Jan. 6 Committee.<\/p>\n<p>Judicial Watch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/fani-willis-in-default\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">argued<\/a> in its lawsuit that Willis&rsquo; &ldquo;representation about not having records responsive to the request is likely false,&rdquo; citing a <a href=\"https:\/\/judiciary.house.gov\/sites\/evo-subsites\/republicans-judiciary.house.gov\/files\/evo-media-document\/2023-12-05-jdj-to-willis-re-jan-6-select-committee-docs.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">December 2023 letter<\/a> issued to the Fulton County prosecutor by the House Judiciary Committee. The committee indicated that Willis&mdash; who indicted Donald Trump and 18 other Republicans last year &mdash; &ldquo;had coordinated [her] politically motivated prosecutions&rdquo; and &ldquo;investigative actions&rdquo; with Smith&rsquo;s office and the Jan. 6 Committee, respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Despite Willis having multiple opportunities to respond to Judicial Watch&rsquo;s legal filing, McBurney noted that she &ldquo;never moved to open default on any basis (not even during the period when she could have opened default as a matter of right), she never paid costs, and she never offered up a meritorious defense.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Plaintiff [Judicial Watch] is thus entitled to judgment by default as if every item and paragraph of the complaint were supported by proper and sufficient evidence,&rdquo; McBurney wrote. &ldquo;Here, this means Plaintiff has established that Defendant [Willis] violated the [Open Records Act] by failing to either turn over responsive records or else notify Plaintiff of her decision to withhold some or all such records.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9f43c794eea850b975397485a5a80907 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-9f43c794eea850b975397485a5a80907\"><\/div>\n<p>The Fulton County judge subsequently ordered Willis to &ldquo;conduct a diligent search of her records for responsive materials within five business days of the entry of this Order.&rdquo; A court hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 20 to decide Judicial Watch&rsquo;s &ldquo;request for attorney&rsquo;s fees and costs.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been doing this work for 30 years, and this is the first time in our experience a government official has been found in default for not showing up in court to answer an open records lawsuit,&rdquo; Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/fani-willis-in-default\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">statement<\/a>. &ldquo;Judicial Watch looks forward to getting any documents from the Fani Willis operation about collusion with the Biden administration and Nancy Pelosi&rsquo;s Congress on her unprecedented and compromised &lsquo;get-Trump&rsquo; prosecution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tuesday&rsquo;s ruling is the latest setback for the Democrat prosecutor in her anti-Republican lawfare.<\/p>\n<p>In September, as my colleague Brianna Lyman <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/09\/13\/judge-dismisses-two-counts-against-trump-in-georgia-lawfare-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed multiple counts from Willis&rsquo; prosecution of Trump, the future of which is uncertain now that Trump has been reelected president. McAfee previously <a href=\"https:\/\/cdn01.dailycaller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Fani-Willis-June-30-2020-CCDR-Amended.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">donated<\/a> to Willis&rsquo; 2020 campaign.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0656d3779eed448b9f0815367a5d5261 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0656d3779eed448b9f0815367a5d5261\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3baffaef5637adb105b82a1fdbd9394f fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3baffaef5637adb105b82a1fdbd9394f\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-american-freedom-convoy-set-to-launch-on-march-1\/\" title=\"Exclusive: \u2018American Freedom Convoy\u2019 Set To Launch On March 1\">state content writer<\/a> for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/court-ruling\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">court ruling<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fani-willis\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Fani Willis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/fulton-county\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Fulton County<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Georgia<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/j6-committee\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">J6 Committee<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/jack-smith\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Jack Smith<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/judicial-watch\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Judicial Watch<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/lawfare\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">lawfare<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/open-records-request\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">open records request<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/special-counsel\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">special counsel<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fulton DA Fani Willis must surrender all communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the Jan. 6 Committee, a judge ruled<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2375773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fani-Willis.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[32732,32463,15093],"class_list":["post-2375772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-j6-committee","tag-jack-smith","tag-willis"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Fani-Willis.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2375772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2375782,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2375772\/revisions\/2375782"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2375773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2375772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2375772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2375772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}