Fulton County DA Fani Willis, who is under investigation for allegedly spending taxpayer funds on luxury trips with a lawyer she hired while the two were having an affair, is being called out by a former employee for apparently misusing another federal grant.
Willis – who sued Donald Trump for allegedly trying to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 Georgia election – was confronted by staffer Amanda Timpson in a November 19, 2021 meeting, after former DA campaign social media manager Michael Cuffee planned to use part of a nearly $500,000 grant for travel, computers and “swag,” according to audio obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
“He wanted to do things with the grant that were impossible, and I kept telling him, like, ‘We can’t do that,'” Timpson is heard telling Willis in the recording. “He told everybody … ‘We’re going to get a MacBook, we’re going to get a luxury item, we’re going to use it for travel.’ I said, ‘You can’t do that, it’s a very, very special gift.'”
A $488,594 grant was set aside for the Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention Center — which has yet to open — but was used to buy a $1,245 item from Dell computers, records show.
Fulton County Attorney Fani Willis confronted former staffer Amanda Timpson in a meeting on November 19, 2021, after a campaign aide planned to use the grant for travel, computers and “swag”. AP Willis is under investigation for allegedly spending taxpayer funds on luxury trips during an affair with a lawyer she hired to help her prosecute former President Donald Trump. Getty Images
“Mr. Cuffee, with respect, has no idea what he’s doing. Period,” added Timpson, who worked in the DA’s office before Willis’ 2020 election but said he was demoted after calling out the campaign aide scheme.
“So, I respect that’s your assessment,” Willis replied. “And I’m not saying that your assessment is wrong.”
Willis also said he has at least “three supervisors … who have failed” his office and called Cuffee’s threats against Timpson for drawing attention to the abuse an “intimidation tactic.”
But on Jan. 14, 2022, Willis fired Timpson, who oversaw the office’s juvenile diversion program, and had her escorted out of the building with seven armed investigators, the former employee told the Free Beacon.
A $488,594 grant was set aside for the Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention Center — which has yet to open — but was used to purchase a $1,245 item from Dell computers. AP
In an interview with the outlet, Timpson said the abuse of the grant was “very similar” to Willis’ office spending a luxury vacation with private lawyer Nathan Wade, with whom he allegedly conducted “clandestine” affairs.
“My case and Nathan Wade’s case are very similar when you break them down one by one,” Timpson told the outlet. “Ethical violations, abuse of power and misuse of county, state and federal funds.”
A January 8 court filing from Trump’s co-defendant, Michael Roman, alleged that Wade created a conflict of interest in Willis’ prosecution of the former president and 14 others.
Wade’s estranged wife Jocelyn confirmed her husband’s alleged “inappropriate” relationship with Willis in divorce proceedings earlier this month, revealing she was paid $654,000 for her work as a special prosecutor in the district attorney’s office since 2022.
A Jan. 8 court filing from Trump co-defendant Michael Roman alleges Wade posed a conflict of interest to Willis’ prosecution of the former president. Reuters
The case was settled out of court Tuesday, preventing the need for Willis or Wade to testify in the matter but financial disclosures by Willis sidelined some of the trips he took with Wade — prompting an audit by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
The Georgia General Assembly is also considering a bill that would revive a commission to discipline and remove prosecutors who abuse their power.
Willis has rejected claims that Timpson was wrongfully terminated, with an office spokesman saying in an August 2022 statement that Timpson was a “holdover” from former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard and that “his supervisor found his performance inadequate.”
Cuffee told the Free Beacon on Tuesday that he has discussed the purchase of computers but not with any Justice Department grant funding.
Wade’s estranged wife, Jocelyn Wade, in divorce proceedings earlier this month reinforced her husband’s alleged “improper” relationship with Willis. Ben Hendren for the NY Post
“This is just a cash grab for Timpson,” Cuffee said, adding that he left Willis’ office for “personal” reasons in December 2021. “He can do what he needs to do.”
But Timpson’s crusade against grant abuse predates Cuffee’s cash grab, as he also blew the whistle on federal funds meant for a Junior District Attorney program established for Atlanta high school students that were given to students outside of Georgia.
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“I want to make sure he knows because I don’t want any scandal associated with it,” Timpson said of the July 26, 2021 meeting with Willis. “He immediately cut me off in the middle of my sentence and demoted me from juvenile diversion director to file clerk.”
The Georgia judge overseeing Trump’s election meddling case in Atlanta has yet to set a trial date — one of four charges the 77-year-old former president faces in an election year. Getty Images
The dispute is now the subject of a whistleblower complaint filed in Fulton County in August 2022, in which Timpson is seeking damages for lost compensation.
A spokesman for the DA’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Georgia judge overseeing Trump’s election meddling case in Atlanta has yet to set a trial date in the case — one of four criminal charges the 77-year-old former president faces this election year.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
