FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis jumped right into the fray Sunday morning, addressing implications of an “improper relationship” with a special prosecutor that she appointed to help with the indictment case against former President Donald Trump.
Speaking from the pulpit at Big Bethel Baptist Church in downtown Atlanta, Willis referenced what she believes to be a double standard by those accusing her of giving Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade preferential treatment and pay while working for her.
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Willis did not use Wade’s name as she launched into the speech, only telling audience members at the historical church that the special prosecutor she hired was the same person hired in a different county to do a similar job at a much higher pay rate. She spoke glowingly about the credentials of everyone on her team and the importance of their jobs.
Willis also did not mention the allegations and motions by an attorney for Michael Roman, one of the 19 people indicted by a Grand Jury under the state’s RICO laws for interfering in the 2020 Presidential election.
She was at Big Bethel Church to speak ahead of the Martin Luther King holiday and how Dr. King’s teaching influenced her.
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On Friday, Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, told Channel 2′s Mark Winne “I would never have filed something like this if I didn’t have multiple sources to corroborate.” Merchant told Winne that the alleged relationship could potentially taint the case against her client.
The motions were one of several topics covered in a Friday hearing in front of Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee. McAfee said that “Obviously, my plan with this was to allow the state an opportunity to respond before setting a hearing date,” in reference as to when he might address the allegations made by Roman.
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Former President Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow did not want to commit to whether or not he would be on board with the motions. “I’m leery to move and adopt motions that make such allegations without having a better understanding or substantiation of the allegation.”
Trump commented on Willis Sunday at a pre-caucus rally in Indianola, Iowa, saying the allegations are proof that the case against him in Georgia should be dropped.
“You saw Fani Willis gave her boyfriend a million bucks to go get Trump, right?” he said. “She has been exposed. I can’t imagine they can continue on with that case... they should drop that Georgia case.”
Fulton County District Attorney’s Office spokesman Jeff DiSantis said the office will respond to Merchant’s allegations in court filings and court, “We look forward to addressing the matter.”
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