Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is steadfast in her commitment to remain on the high-profile election crimes case involving former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants, despite calls for her resignation based on allegations raised in a court filing by one of Trump’s co-defendants. The accusers claim that Willis has an “improper” relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she appointed as part of the Trump election crimes team.
Efforts by Trump and others to force Willis to step down have not swayed her determination. In a CNN exclusive by Zachary Cohen, sources revealed that Willis is not planning to voluntarily recuse herself from the case, despite facing public scrutiny over alleged financial benefits from a romantic relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Willis is expected to counter arguments from Trump and co-defendants, not by disputing claims about the alleged relationship, but by asserting that the defense attorneys seeking her removal are wrong on legal grounds. While Willis has maintained relative public silence since the allegations surfaced, she has been actively involved in crafting her office’s formal response, ensuring her direct engagement in addressing the accusations.
CNN’s Dana Bash discussed the exclusive report with Zachary Cohen on Inside Politics. Cohen highlighted the complexity of the situation and the legal showdown that may unfold over the next two weeks. Willis, while not directly addressing the allegations publicly, is anticipated to focus on the legal merits and arguments in her response, challenging the claims against her. The response is due to be filed in court, providing insight into how Willis plans to navigate the controversy.
The sources suggested that Willis will emphasize that those accusing her lack understanding of the legal aspects and are misguided in their calls for disqualification. The situation remains fluid, with Willis potentially testifying in an open hearing on February 15th, marking a pivotal period for her in addressing the allegations.
Dana Bash noted the significance of the upcoming weeks and the challenge for Willis to navigate the legal and public relations aspects of the case. Trump’s desire to shift the narrative towards Willis rather than the case itself adds an additional layer of complexity to the situation.
While Willis has publicly addressed criticism, she has yet to directly respond to the specific allegations. The evolving developments underscore the intensity and intricacies surrounding this high-profile election crimes case in Georgia.
Willis has faced immense public scrutiny since allegations first surfaced that she has benefitted financially from a romantic relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade. Despite calls by some legal experts to recuse herself from the case to protect its integrity, she is not expected to do so, the sources told CNN.
Instead, Willis is preparing to counter arguments from Trump and other co-defendants, not by necessarily disputing claims about the relationship but by arguing that defense attorneys seeking to remove her are wrong on the law, sources said.
Despite her relative public silence since the allegations surfaced, Willis has been personally involved in crafting her office’s formal response, according to a source familiar with her role.
On Thursday afternoon’s edition of CNN’s Inside Politics, Dana Bash spoke to Cohen about his reporting:
DANA BASH: Exclusive. We are learning. Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis has no plans to step down from Georgia and the election subversion case there against Donald Trump.
Sources tell CNN that Willis is worried if she leaves, it would effectively end the case. CNN’s Zachary Cohen brought us this exclusive reporting and joins us now. So much drama. What are you hearing from the people around Fani Willis about why she is standing firm?
ZACHARY COHEN: Well, look, this is messy. There’s no two ways about it. But look, Willis is digging in. That’s what my sources says. She is not going to voluntarily take herself out of this case.
Which really does set up the sort of legal showdown, especially over the next two weeks. We know Willis hasn’t really directly addressed these allegations, that she was in this improper romantic relationship with her top prosecutor. She’s really been quiet.
But behind the scenes, I’m told that she’s been intimately and directly involved in writing this written response, that she has a deadline tomorrow to turn that in and file that in court. So we’re going to see how she addresses this for the first time, potentially as early as tomorrow.
She has you know, my sources are saying that she will focus on the merits, the legal merits and the legal arguments rather than address the allegations directly. She’s going to basically say that the lawyers who are accusing her of these allegations and jumping this idea that she should be disqualified, they don’t know what they’re talking about.
So remains to be seen. She’s also going to be potentially testifying in an open hearing on February 15th. So a really big two weeks for Fani Willis coming.
DANA BASH: Yeah, a really big two weeks. And this is of course, what Donald Trump wants is to be talking about her and not the case. So that’s going to be a consideration I’m sure.
