Fani Willis whistleblower details allegations

A former employee of Fulton County Prosecutor's Office Fani Willis detailed allegations of misconduct at the Georgia law firm during a Republican-led Senate Select Committee on Investigations hearing Thursday.

Willis' office is pursuing former President Donald Trump's election interference case. Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and 18 co-defendants were indicted in August 2023 for allegedly conspiring to overturn President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory in Georgia. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all accusations and claimed the case was politically motivated.

Amanda Timpson, former director of Fulton County's juvenile diversion program, says she was fired after trying to stop her colleagues from misusing federal grant money. Timpson helped write grant applications for the District Attorney's Office, which included a $488,594 grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded in 2020 to create a center youth empowerment and gang prevention. OJJDP is an office of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

Willis denied any wrongdoing and said Timpson was fired because of poor job performance, according to the Georgia Recorder.

The whistleblower detailed an alleged meeting between her and her supervisor at the time, Michael Cuffee, an aide to Willis.

“At that meeting, it was the first time what (Cuffee) wanted to spend the grant on. He said he wanted to spend it on computers, travel and gifts,” Timpson told Georgia senators. “As I insisted that this wasn’t what we could do, that’s when I realized my treatment had changed.”

The ex-employee also spoke about an alleged conversation between her and Willis.

“(Willis) said something like, 'What's going on?' And when I went to speak, she interrupted me and said, 'Effective today, you are going to be removed from your position and demoted,'” Timpson said.

Timpson said she raised her concerns with human resources, but was ultimately fired. The whistleblower has a lawsuit pending in state court against Willis for wrongful termination, according to the Georgia Recorder.

News week contacted Willis' office and the DOJ's communications office via email for comment.

Willis has not yet accepted an invitation to testify before the Senate Select Committee on Investigations. Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert, chairman of the committee, said Willis would be subpoenaed if deemed necessary.

However, Willis told reporters earlier this month that she did not believe the committee had the authority to subpoena her, nor would she choose to go.

“I will not appear to do anything illegal and I have not broken the law,” she said.

Meanwhile, two Republican U.S. senators, Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, are also investigating the alleged misuse of nearly $500,000 in federal funds, the Washington Free Beacon reported Wednesday.

Despite the recent controversy surrounding Willis, she won the Democratic primary Tuesday against attorney Christian Wise Smith, moving her one step closer to a re-election bid.

“I was constantly attacked. They called me anything but a child of God,” Willis said during her victory speech.

Earlier this year, Willis was thrust into the national spotlight when she was accused of having a personal relationship with a prosecutor in her office, Nathan Wade. Although Willis and Wade admitted to their relationship, they maintained that neither of them benefited financially from it. Wade later resigned from Willis' office.