Donald Trump’s legal team has strongly disputed District Attorney Fani Willis’ recent denial that her racially targeted comments were not directed at the defendants in the Georgia election fraud case. In court papers filed on Friday, Willis admitted to having an affair with lead Trump prosecutor Nathan Wade but claimed that her remarks about being racially targeted on January 14 were not aimed at Trump, his co-defendants, or the case against them. However, Trump’s lawyers have called her denial “preposterous and disingenuous at best, and an outright lie at worst.”
Willis had previously addressed allegations of disqualification due to her relationship with Wade, stating that they were being unfairly targeted. She mentioned during a public speech that the defendants had accused her of playing the race card, but questioned whether it was them who were actually doing so by singling out only her and Wade, both of whom are black, for misconduct allegations. Trump co-defendant Mike Roman had initially exposed their alleged relationship, claiming that Willis had hired an under-qualified Wade at an unusually high salary and benefited from his alleged financial support.
Willis’ office has maintained that their relationship was not illegal, and they both had separate finances. They argued that her statements during the speech did not reference the case or the defendants, and there is no evidence to suggest racial or gender bias in her treatment of Trump. However, Trump’s legal team contends that Willis’ repeated use of words like “they” and “them” in her speech clearly referred to the defendants and their defense counsel, demonstrating disparagement and condemnation.
Trump’s lawyers argue that Willis’ comments, made outside of court, were unethical and provide grounds for her disqualification and the dismissal of the criminal racketeering charges against Trump. A hearing is scheduled for February 15 to address Roman and Trump’s motions to dismiss the charges and remove Willis from the case. Roman’s side has issued subpoenas for Willis and Wade’s testimony at the hearing, but Willis’ office is seeking to avoid public testimony and may request the cancellation of the hearing altogether.
