In Georgia, a case is underway against former US President Trump for possible election manipulation. But now the public prosecutor in charge herself is coming under fire. The reason is a possible affair.
Last August, Fani Willis became known throughout the US: At that time, prosecutors from Atlanta filed charges against former President Donald Trump and 18 alleged accomplices. For forming a criminal conspiracy to falsify the results of the presidential election in Georgia.
Requested discontinuation of the proceedings
But now the prosecutor herself has become the target of several investigations. Trump and one of his co-defendants have therefore even asked the judge in charge to stop the proceedings.
The accusation: Willis hired a special prosecutor with whom she allegedly had an affair. The lawyer Nathan Wade, who is still married, has already earned more than $650,000 from the ongoing trial against Trump. And he paid for two flights with Willis to Miami and San Francisco. This is proven by documents from his ongoing divorce proceedings.
suspicion of Conflict of interest and enrichment
“These are very serious allegations,” said Greg Dolezal, Republican Senator from Georgia, on local television. The question is whether someone wants to enrich themselves by indicting Trump and whether there is at least a significant conflict of interest. The Republican now wants to have this investigated in the Georgia state parliament.
The allegations were made through the lawyer of a Trump co-defendant. The black Democrat Willis is the favorite object of hatred of the ex-president and his supporters. At a recent campaign appearance, Trump intentionally mispronounced her name Fani: “Fanny” colloquially means butt.
“She paid her boyfriend, who had no experience as a lawyer, almost a million dollars,” Trump claimed. “And then they decided to go on beautiful Norwegian cruises. He was very generous with our money. These people are corrupt!”
Willis comments Accusation of racism
Willis himself has not yet commented directly on the allegations. At a church service in Atlanta in mid-January, the 53-year-old described death threats and insults directed at her. She hears the “N-word” more often than her first name.
And Willis implied that racism was behind the allegations against her. Ultimately, she hired three special prosecutors, all of whom earned the same amount: a white woman, a white man and a black man. But that’s the only person being investigated, says Willis: “They’ll claim that I’m pulling the racism card. They’re pulling the racism card. Because they’re only investigating one person.”
But even supporters of Willis in the Trump case are now arguing that the prosecutor should withdraw from the case. That would be “the best thing for the case and the public,” said lawyer and ethics professor Clark Cunningham from Georgia State University, for example, on CNN: “And they should do it quickly!” Otherwise there would be a risk of endless delays and possibly even the termination of the case against Trump.
The trial is scheduled to begin in August
That would be very good news for the ex-president: the trial in Georgia, which is scheduled to begin in August, is the only one in which he cannot immediately pardon himself or have the investigation stopped if he is re-elected.
Julia Kastein, ARD Washington, tagesschau, January 29, 2024 8:14 a.m