(The Center Square) – The Georgia Senate Special Committee on Investigation will meet on Thursday to discuss the now-defunct New Georgia Project, but won’t hear from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Chairman Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, and committee attorney Josh Belinfante said at the committee’s October meeting that Willis could appear on Nov. 13.
“Her counsel has indicated that she is available on that date and will honor the subpoena subject to certain limitations in the scope of questioning,” Cowsert said.
Willis had a scheduling conflict unrelated to the Senate committee, Evan Bergwall, director of the Senate Communications Office, told The Center Square.
The committee subpoenaed Willis to testify about her prosecution of President Donald Trump and others in a case accusing them of election fraud. Willis fought the subpoena but lost in court.
On Friday, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones posted a picture of Willis on a milk carton on his gubernatorial campaign page on social media in response to Willis not appearing.
“This charade has gone on long enough,” Jones said. “Fani Willis is afraid of transparency and every delay is just another attempt to hide from the truth.”
The Center Square was unsuccessful getting comment prior to publication from Willis’ attorney, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes.
The Senate Special Committee on Investigations expanded its scope during the 2025 session to include the New Georgia Project. Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams founded it, but she has not been involved with the organization in years.
The New Georgia Project announced last month that it was dissolving. U.S. Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who heads the House Ways and Means Committee, said Thursday the dissolution comes after scrutiny from his committee.
“The New Georgia Project’s decision to dissolve further confirms the Ways and Means Committee and Georgia State Ethics Commission’s findings that the organization broke the law when it failed to disclose more than $7 million in illegal contributions and expenditures designed to prop up Abrams’s failed 2018 campaign,” Smith said.
The Georgia State Ethics Commission fined the New Georgia Project and the New Georgia Project Action Fund $300,000 in January.
Evidence presented by David Emadi, executive secretary of the commission, showed money doled out for paid canvassers and fliers supporting Abrams’ 2018 run. The nonprofits failed to report $4.2 million in contributions and $3.2 million in expenditures.
A time has not been set for Thursday’s meeting of the Senate Special Committee on Investigations.
