A new bill from Congressman Andy Biggs (R-AZ-05) would defund the Georgia district attorney that went after former President Donald Trump and his allies for challenging the 2020 election.
Biggs named the bill after its inspiration, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis: the Withholding Investments from Lawless Litigators in States, or “WILLIS,” Act (HR5267).
The WILLIS Act was referred immediately to the House Judiciary Committee. Biggs called the charges some of the “weakest and most weakest and most ridiculous” acts he had ever seen.
Biggs appeared on Tuesday’s episode of “Conservative Circus” with James T. Harris to discuss his bill. Biggs said the bill could be rolled out through the regular budget bill, but said there was only “a glimmer of hope” that could happen under current leadership.
“I’m just being frank with you, James, our leadership has opted instead to do this continuing resolutions thing and so it makes it harder for us to get this type of bill through and get it passed,” said Biggs.
Biggs said that his colleagues are treating the indictments as “business as usual.” He linked this reported nonchalance with accusations of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA-20) failing to get the 12 annual appropriations bills done properly in the nine months he had to work on them. Biggs said the current budget legislation bears no discernible differences to that of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“The only difference between Speaker Pelosi and her big-spending Democrat budget and Kevin McCarthy and his proposed CR [continuing resolution] extension, is that the Pelosi speakership and the Kevin McCarthy speakership, the only difference is that one of them wore curls!” said Biggs.
The continuing resolution is a stopgap to avoid a federal shutdown arising over House Republican infighting as well as House and Senate disagreements on spending levels. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has agreed to work with McCarthy on a short-term spending arrangement.
McCarthy told Fox News on Sunday that a government shutdown would impede the investigation into Hunter Biden and thwart plans to roll back Pelosi legislation.
“If we shut down, all government shuts down. Investigation and everything else,” said McCarthy. “But if we’re able to pass our appropriation bills, we’re in a stronger position to remove those Pelosi policies that are locked into law.”
Biggs said the charges against Trump relied heavily on public speech, and would be “laughed” out of court in a healthy justice system.
“We knew that [New York District Attorney] Alvin Bragg took federal dollars and then he used those to investigate and file indictments against Donald Trump. You know that [DOJ special counsel] Jack Smith was meeting and coordinating with the White House before he issued his indictments,” said Biggs. “You have this Fani Willis also getting federal dollars; was she using it to go after Donald Trump?”
An investigation by @JudiciaryGOP last April found that Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg used taxpayer dollars to go after President Trump.
We will not give federal funds to corrupt DA Offices abusing their power.
This is why I introduced the WILLIS Act to defund the Fulton County DA. pic.twitter.com/OJG1AFnkOY
— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) August 28, 2023
Biggs said that his bill constituted an accountability measure to preserve the justice system.
“If we don’t hold them accountable, we’ll never get back to an equilibrium where everybody is treated equal before the law,” said Biggs.