ATLANTA — A Georgia Senate special investigative committee heard testimony from a former employee with the Fulton County District Attorney's Office on Thursday afternoon.
Amanda Timpson, the former director of the Juvenile Diversion Program, accused District Attorney Fani Willis of planning to use grant funds illegally and retaliating against her when she raised concerns.
According to the committee, its goal is to investigate allegations of misconduct by Willis related to "potential conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds." The committee also wants to "enact new or amend existing laws and/or change state appropriations to restore public confidence in the criminal justice system."
This hearing comes days after Willis snagged a majority vote in the Georgia general primary against her Democratic challenger, Christian Wise Smith.
Timpson, the former employee, was hired by former Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard. She said things changed when Willis took office.
Under Howard's administration, the former director said she helped write a federal grant proposal to operate programs at a new gang prevention center for youth. The grant was worth over $488,000, but once Willis took office, Timpson claimed her role in the D.A.'s office was abolished, and she applied for a new one.
She was then hired as the director of the juvenile diversion program with a new supervisor in 2021. Not long after she got the role, she said she was told the grant she helped write was going to be used for other unspecified purposes.
"This was the first time that he (Timpson's supervisor) kind of mentioned what he wanted to spend the grant on, and he articulated that he wanted to spend the grant on computers, travel, and swag," Timpson told the committee on Thursday. "I quickly kind of interjected and let him know that those were not things we could do with the grant."
She said she also raised her concerns about a smaller grant for a junior district attorney program that she believed was being used improperly. Once she took her concerns to Willis, she claimed she was immediately demoted to file clerk.
"It changed not only the function of my job, but changed my schedule. It changed my location. I mean, this is frivolous, but I was taken off the website," Timpson described. "I was essentially banished for what I saw to be protecting her at the time."
Timpson said she kept trying to raise concerns about the funds and her treatment, and in January 2022, she claimed she was fired. She ended up filing a whistleblower lawsuit against the D.A.'s Office, and she said the case is still pending in court.
11Alive reached out to the District Attorney's Office for a response, which blamed Timpson's firing on her performance.
"Ms. Timpson was unsuccessful in three different positions and performed poorly under the supervision of three different supervisors," the statement read. "Ms. Timpson’s claims of wrongdoing by this office are untrue. She has shopped her false claims in multiple courtrooms. Almost all have been rejected and we expect the remainder to be rejected soon.”
Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts and Fulton County CFO Sharon Whitmore testified in the last state hearing earlier this month. Read more about their testimony here.
The previous hearing before the special committee, in early March, featured testimony from Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney who sought to disqualify Willis and Wade after uncovering alleged misconduct related to a romantic affair between the D.A. and the lead prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case. Judge Scott McAfee ultimately determined that Willis could remain on the case, but Wade had to resign as part of his ruling.
11Alive streamed the hearing. Re-watch the full video below.
More on the Georgia Senate investigation into Fani Willis
The Senate committee lacks the power to sanction Willis, but the senators can subpoena evidence. They also have the rare power to require that testimony be given under oath.
The committee could produce a report at the end of its investigation that features proposed changes to state law or budgeting to the DA's Office.
These are the Senators who are serving on the committee investigating Willis:
- Chairman Bill Cowsert (R-Athens)
- Vice Chairman Greg Dolezal, (R-Cumming)
- Jason Esteves, (D-Atlanta)
- John F. Kennedy, (R-Macon)
- Blake Tillery, (R-Vidalia)
- Harold Jones II, (D-Augusta)
- Bo Hatchett, (R-Cornelia)
- Steve Gooch, (R-Dahlonega)
- Gloria Butler (D-Stone Mountain)
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