Georgia’s Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has spoken out for the first time since facing misconduct allegations and called out Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who had called for an “immediate investigation” into Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis defended Wade’s qualifications in the state’s case against former President Donald Trump.
Willis addressed the congregation at the Big Bethel AME Church on Sunday, marking her first public appearance since allegations of misconduct involving Wade surfaced last week. She criticized her critics, including Greene.
“I never want to be a Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has never met me but has allowed her spirit to be filled with hate. How does this woman, who has the honor of being a leader in my state, how is it that she has not reached out to me?” Willis said.
Willis went on to describe the personal toll the allegations have taken on her, calling the last few days a “low point.” She continued, “How did such a woman come to think that it was normal and normalized that another woman was worthy of such cruelty? I would never wish for her to have the experiences or the threats that I receive, the derogatory name calling, the being doxed multiple times.”
Willis did not directly address the allegations of an improper relationship with Wade. Still, she strongly refuted claims of impropriety in hiring Wade for the state’s election interference case involving Trump and over a dozen co-defendants.
The allegations against Willis and Wade come amid a tumultuous legal battle between Trump and the state of Georgia. The allegations were made by one of Trump’s co-defendants, Mike Roman, who accused Willis and Wade of engaging in an “improper” romantic relationship. Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, claimed the pair had an “ongoing, personal and romantic relationship,” which allegedly began before the election interference case.
In response, Willis defended Wade’s “impeccable credentials,” without mentioning him by name. She also suggested that the allegations against her and Wade, both Black individuals, may have been racially motivated.
Trump is facing 13 counts for his alleged efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia and a separate federal criminal case in Washington, D.C., over his attempts to remain in power after losing the 2020 election. In August, Trump labeled Willis as “corrupt” following his indictment in Georgia, calling the charges “shocking and absurd.”
Willis’s defense of Wade’s credentials and the allegations of being racially motivated could potentially impact the ongoing legal proceedings against Trump and his co-defendants.
