Fulton County DA Fani Willis Permitted to Prosecute Trump and Co-Defendants in Georgia 2020 Election Interference Case
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was given the green light by Judge Scott McAfee on Friday to continue prosecuting the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and 14 of his allies for their involvement in Georgia’s 2020 election interference (hereafter referred to as the “Georgia Case”). However, Willis was instructed to dismiss special prosecutor Nathan Wade from the case in order for her and her office to remain involved.
After several months of extensive legal proceedings, which included heated courtroom debates, the Georgia Case is set to move forward depending on Willis’ decision regarding Wade. Ashleigh Merchant, attorney for co-defendant Mike Roman, initially raised concerns over the potential conflict of interest between Willis and Wade and questioned their relationship timeline.
Merchant’s allegations claimed that Willis financially benefited from Wade due to his taking her on expensive vacations following her hiring of him as a special prosecutor in late 2021, when the Georgia Case was heating up. However, Willis denied any wrongdoing and testified that their romantic relationship didn’t begin until early 2022.
When Willis took office in 2021, she inherited a significant backlog of over 16,000 cases due to delays brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. She prioritized her resources and energy towards what she believed was the most crucial case: prosecuting Trump for his attempts to interfere with Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results.
Willis spent three years on her meticulous investigation, resulting in 19 indictments following an extensive special purpose grand jury process lasting almost half a year. In August 2023, Trump was taken into custody at the Fulton County Jail on charges including racketeering, conspiracy, and soliciting public officials to violate their oaths.
The indictment charged Trump with “unlawfully soliciting” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to breach his oath during their controversial January 2, 2021, phone call. In this conversation, Trump requested that Raffensperger help him alter Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The Georgia Case includes a total of 41 charges, with the first one being based on the state’s anti-racketeering law (RICO). The subsequent 40 non-racketeering charges were derived from a dozen significant incidents following the 2020 election.
The accusations against Trump and his allies include false statements to state legislatures, high-ranking officials, and the electoral college; creation and distribution of false election documents; harassment of election workers; solicitation of Department of Justice officials; solicitation of then-Vice President Mike Pence; unlawful breach of election equipment; and acts of obstruction.
Several Trump allies are also accused of committing specific crimes related to their involvement in the breach of voting systems in rural Coffee County, Georgia, as well as lying about their roles.
Trump and 14 of his allies have pleaded not guilty to all the charges in the sprawling racketeering case. Four defendants have already accepted plea deals in exchange for their testimonies. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.