Has Fulton County (Georgia) District Attorney Fani Willis’ involvement in an allegedly inappropriate love scandal jeopardized her entire election interference case against Donald Trump?
Top News Today :
For months, Fani Willis presented herself as a no-nonsense prosecutor who followed the law, did everything by the book, and was not afraid of taking down Donald Trump. She proved through her words and deeds that she always covered her tracks, crossed all her “t’s” and dotted all her “i’s.” Now, some are questioning if it was all a façad and if she may have dropped the ball on the Trump case.
According to The Washington Post, Ms. Willis had been involved in a secret and long-term love relationship with Nathan Wade, a man whom she hired as a special prosecutor to lead her case against Donald Trump. Willis paid Wade more than $650,000 for his work and then allegedly profited personally when Wade used that money to take her on expensive vacations, including cruises in the Bahamas and trips to Aruba, Belize, and Napa Valley.
Although Ms. Willis has since acknowledged the existence of a “personal relationship” with Nathan Wade (her subordinate), she insists nothing was done inappropriately.
Both Willis and Wade said their relationship began in March of 2022 — which was after he had already been appointed to the case — and ended last summer. However, Robin Bryan-Yeartie, a longtime Willis friend who used to work at the district attorney’s office, testified that the relationship actually began years earlier than the district attorney admitted. She also threw a bombshell into the timeline by telling the court she had “no doubt” Willis and Wade’s relationship began in 2019 — and that she had seen the pair “hugging, kissing, being affectionate” before November of 2021.
The Associated Press is reporting that Trump co-defendant Mike Roman, who first exposed the relationship, believes it creates a conflict of interest and is asking the judge to dismiss the indictment and to prohibit Willis, Wade, and their offices from further involvement in the case. The Trump team has also questioned Wade’s qualifications for the job, saying there’s no evidence he has ever prosecuted a felony or handled a racketeering case.
However, in what was seen as a bit of a risky move, Ms. Willis took the stand last week to defend herself, her former relationship, and her continued involvement in the case.
“I’m not on trial. No matter how hard you try to put me on trial,” the defiant but savvy Wills barked at the attorney cross-examining her.
She then asserted that her former relationship should have no bearing on the serious criminal charges she’s pursuing against Donald Trump and formally petitioned the judge to dismiss the motions seeking her disqualification without a hearing.
During an appearance late last week on MSNBC, Legal Analyst Caroline Polisi declared that new testimony contradicting Fani Willis’ claims about her relationship with Nathan Wade was a bad day for the Fulton County DA and “game over for her.”
“Don’t let the legalese fool you. This is epic. This is monumental,” Polisi said. “If things are going in the direction we think, Fani Willis lied to the court, it’s game over for her. She will be disqualified. If they had a relationship prior to when they represented truth to the court, it’s a huge deal. I can’t overstate.”
However, others see the attempt to bring Fani Willis down as a big nothing burger.
“I simply don’t see any new evidence that requires disqualification. It’s a credibility pissing match so far. Ugly. Dramatic. But the needle hasn’t moved,” tweeted Georgia State University Law Prof. Anthony Michael Kreis.
“As an excavation of a now-defunct relationship, it was Bravo-worthy (and frankly, sad). But as an evidentiary hearing, it wasn’t the win the defense promised, especially under the governing legal standard,” added MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin.
“I think the whole thing is a textbook Trump dirty tricks smear. It’s meant to intimidate and bully DA Wilis and make her look bad in front of the residents of Fulton County from which the jury will be drawn. They are trying to dirty up that jury pool,” said former assistant attorney general for New York State, Tristan Snell.
He added: “This is a Fulton County HR issue, not something for the courtroom.”
Needless to say, Donald Trump was ecstatic at the news that the winds may be turning against Fani Willis.
“MSNCB STATED GAME OVER FOR THE FAKE FANI WILLIS CASE IN GEORGIA,” Trump posted on his Truth Social Network. “ANOTHER SCAM COORDINATED WITH THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE FOR PURPOSES OF ELECTION INTERFERENCE!!!” he added.
Has the once revered Fani Willis allowed an inappropriate office romance to completely botch her near-perfect case against Donald Trump? Has Willis created an unwanted distraction for herself and her team that could undermine public confidence in the case? Will the court now have no other choice but to remove the case from Fulton County, Georgia, and send it to federal court — where conservative judges will be much more lenient and favorable toward Donald Trump? Or is this all a temporary distraction that will fizzle in the end and allow Fani Willis to continue undeterred?
OK WASSUP! discusses the Top News Today:
Has DA Fani Willis botched her entire Trump case?
AP: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is used to prosecuting high-profile, challenging cases. But as she parried questions about her own personal conduct from the witness stand against the legal teams for defendants her office has accused of election interference, many Black women recognized a dispiriting scene. “It absolutely feels familiar. There is no secret that the common sentiment among Black women in positions of power (is that they) must over-perform to be seen as equals to their counterparts,” said Jessica T. Ornsby, a family litigation attorney in the Washington, D.C., area. “Here, Ms. Willis is being scrutinized for things that are not directly related to her job performance, in ways we see other Black women regularly picked apart,” Ornsby said. Willis testified during an extraordinary hearing that could result in her office being removed from the state’s election interference case against former President Donald Trump. She was questioned… Read more »