Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia signed a law Wednesday that lets a state commission begin operating with powers to discipline and remove prosecutors – and Democrats fear it’s aimed at Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney prosecuting former President Donald Trump for election interference, the Associated Press reports. Willis already faces efforts to remove her from the Trump prosecution over a romantic relationship she had with the special prosecutor she employed in that case.
Republican House Speaker Jon Burns said the Democrats’ fears were misplaced. “For us in the House our focus is not on any one person, not on any one situation,” he said. Kemp also did not mention Willis directly in his comments. “This legislation will help us ensure rogue and incompetent prosecutors are held accountable if they refuse to uphold the law,” Kemp said before signing the bill, flanked by Republican legislative leaders. Kemp signed legislation last year creating the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, but it was unable to begin operating after the state Supreme Court in November refused to approve rules governing its conduct, saying that they had “grave doubts” about their ability to regulate the duties of district attorneys beyond the practice of law. Tuesday’s measure removes the requirement for Supreme Court approval.