Fani Willis campaigns to keep her job and continue prosecuting Trump

July 23, 2024

ATLANTA — On a recent morning, a group of Black faith leaders surrounded Fani T. Willis on the steps of Big Bethel AME Church as the Fulton County district attorney accepted their endorsement in her bid for a second term.

Four months earlier, Willis had taken to the pulpit of this historic Black church for her first public appearance amid salacious allegations that she’d hired a romantic partner to lead the Georgia criminal case against former president Donald Trump. In what would be the opening salvo of her fight to maintain control of the case, she suggested racism was at the heart of attacks against her.

It has been nearly two months since a judge ruled Willis could continue prosecuting the Trump case, as long as Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she’d appointed and had a romantic relationship with, resigned. But the drama stemming from that detour has lingered.

The Georgia Court of Appeals last week agreed to review an appeal from Trump and several of his co-defendants seeking to overturn the order keeping Willis on the case. The review reopens the uncertainty of whether Willis will maintain control of the historic criminal case, the biggest of her career, and makes it increasingly unlikely the case will go to trial before the November election.

First, Willis must face the judgment of her constituents as she seeks another four-year term.

In Georgia’s Democratic primary on Tuesday, Willis will face local attorney Christian Wise Smith, who has said Willis “rightfully” brought charges against Trump and his allies but has suggested her focus on that case has left Fulton County residents “vulnerable” and other cases “neglected.”

The heaviest attacks are likely to come ahead of the general election, when Willis, if she secures the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary, is expected to face Courtney Kramer, a Republican lawyer who interned in the Trump White House and was involved in Trump’s efforts to reverse his 2020 loss in Georgia. It is a long-shot campaign in heavily Democratic Fulton County but one that could greatly amplify criticism of the district attorney and the Trump case.

Willis, a longtime prosecutor known for her no-nonsense persona, has remained defiant amid the ongoing attacks and continued scrutiny of her sex life. She has strongly denied any wrongdoing and has insisted she’s not sorry or embarrassed about her relationship with Wade, which both have insisted had no impact on the election case.

Amid criticism from Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee over her January speech at Big Bethel AME, Willis has largely curbed her public comments about the Trump case — declining media interviews and a debate against her Democratic primary opponent.

A spokesman for Willis said many of the debate questions were likely to be about the election case and other ongoing high-profile prosecutions, including the racketeering case against the rapper Young Thug, and Willis would not be able to answer them without angering the judges in those cases and giving defense lawyers fodder to use against her in court.

But campaigning on the steps of Big Bethel AME earlier this month, the district attorney offered a barely concealed message to her critics, proclaiming that there “ain’t nobody above the law” and that she didn’t care how rich or powerful they were, what their political affiliation is or “how evil your supporters are.”

“I don’t care how many times they threaten me,” Willis declared. “I will gladly leave this place knowing that I did God’s work.”

Even as Willis has sought to maintain her tough-as-nails swagger, there have been occasional cracks in that facade.

Appearing last week at a function honoring the work of the police department in South Fulton, Ga., the Atlanta suburb where she has lived for more than a decade, Willis spoke of how local officers had stepped up to protect her, her family and her home amid threats on her life stemming from the cases she has taken on.

“The last couple of years have been really hard for me,” Willis said, her voice thick with emotion. “But what has kept me safe is this police department.”

From her front-row seat, Willis watched local officers take the stage with their bomb-sniffing dogs. She knew them well, she explained, because they had regularly been at her home in response to bomb threats that had come in since she first launched her investigation into Trump and his allies.

Wiping tears away, Willis recounted one of the more harrowing incidents: she received a phone call on Christmas last year from the South Fulton police chief saying there had been a 911 call reporting that a woman had been shot and killed at her home.

Willis had moved out of her home more than a year earlier because of the ongoing threats, but her daughters sometimes visited the house — and she worried one of them had been murdered. Police quickly discovered it was a hoax swatting call — but the incident left Willis shaken.

“I cannot tell you the level of terror I had thinking my 26-year-old child was dead,” Willis said.

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At least two people have been arrested and charged federally with making threats against Willis — including a San Diego-area man who was indicted earlier this month after he made threatening online comments about Willis last year over her prosecution of Trump. According to the federal indictment, the man wrote that Willis “will be killed like a dog.”

Those threats have complicated Willis’s efforts to campaign for a second term. Her political schedule is mostly private, and at public events, she is flanked by bodyguards.

At a recent neighborhood parade in Atlanta’s historic Inman Park neighborhood, Willis waved to residents from the sunroof of a black sport utility vehicle, as other candidates — including McAfee, the judge — walked the route, shaking hands and posing for photos.

When Willis asked to walk part of the parade — as she had in past elections — her security advised against it, according to a person familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Still, many people cheered as Willis rode by, a sign of her popularity.

Ahead of Tuesday’s primary, Willis launched a 30-second television ad, charting a moderate path between her efforts to combat gangs and violent crime while also emphasizing community outreach and crime reduction programs aimed at young people. The spot features footage of Willis and her father, a civil rights lawyer and former Black Panther, and touts a significant drop in violent crime in Atlanta. There’s no mention of the Trump case.

“I’m just getting started,” Willis says in the ad.

Even as she is viewed as the favorite for reelection, Trump allies in Georgia and Washington have intensified their efforts to stymie Willis and her election case.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has threatened to seek contempt of Congress proceedings against Willis for her failure to turn over documents to his committee as they seek to investigate whether she used federal funds in her investigation of Trump. Willis has accused Jordan of trying to obstruct a criminal proceeding.

Last week, Jordan gave an interview to Atlanta’s WSB-TV, accusing Willis of conspiring with special counsel Jack Smith and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — prosecutors overseeing Trump’s other pending criminal cases — to keep Trump from winning a second term in the White House, though he offered no proof of that conspiracy. “This ain’t even worth my time,” Willis said in response.

In March, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed a bill reviving a state commission that has the power to investigate and remove elected prosecutors. The commission, made up of Republican appointees, had been created last year but was marred by legal issues. A group of Georgia prosecutors who sued to block the commission last year have revived their lawsuit.

Kemp warned GOP lawmakers last year about using the panel to punish Willis. But earlier this year, Kemp joined with other Republicans critical of Willis, calling the allegations of misconduct “deeply troubling.” His stance has led Georgia Democrats to fear Willis is likely to be the panel’s first target.

In a Sunday interview with Atlanta’s WXIA, Kemp, who is expected to be a key witness against Trump, was even more critical of Willis and the election case. “I will say a lot of people, including myself, think it’s been very politically motivated on how that has played out,” Kemp said. “I think the Democrats quite honestly have overplayed their hand by waiting so long it looked political.”

Meanwhile, a separate Georgia Senate subcommittee, made up of six Republicans and three Democrats, has launched an investigation into Willis and the allegations of misconduct.

State Sen. Bill Cowsert (R) has insisted his panel does not want to lead a political “witch hunt,” but Democrats have been skeptical of that claim. The panel has the power to subpoena documents and witnesses but cannot legally punish Willis.

Earlier this month, Cowsert indicated that he plans to subpoena Willis if she declines to appear before the committee voluntarily. In response, Willis has declared she will not comply, calling the committee’s work “unlawful.”

Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones (R), who leads the state Senate and was involved in the panel’s creation, quickly issued a statement warning that Willis “will be in violation of Georgia law” if she doesn’t appear.

Jones, a former state senator who served as a 2020 Trump elector in Georgia, had been under investigation by Willis for his role in Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia. But a judge later barred her from bringing charges against Jones because she had hosted a fundraiser for his political rival. An outside prosecutor is now determining whether charges will be filed.

Former Georgia governor Roy Barnes, a Democrat and longtime criminal defense attorney who declined Willis’s 2021 offer to lead the election interference case, told reporters that he plans to represent Willis if it becomes a legal fight.

On the steps of Big Bethel AME, Willis exhibited a tiny smile as reporters pressed her about whether she would testify. “I don’t even think they have the right to subpoena me,” Willis shot back. “They need to learn the law.”

Behind her, several Black ministers appeared amused at her blunt answers, their eyes darting back and forth between Willis and reporters as though they were observing a fast-paced tennis match.

“I will not appear before anything that is unlawful. I have not broken the law in any way,” Willis declared. She paused ever so slightly, as if considering her words while standing with men of the Lord. “I’ve said it, and I’ll say it among these leaders: I’m sorry folks get pissed off that everybody gets treated equally.”

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