Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis denied she is “embarrassed” by the disqualification proceedings against her and claimed her reputation was undamaged by the public questioning of her decision to appoint her former lover, Nathan Wade, as the special prosecutor overseeing her case against former President Donald Trump.
The district attorney delivered the remarks to CNN on Saturday while attending an Easter giveaway in Fulton County.
“I don’t feel like my reputation needs to be reclaimed,” she told the outlet. Willis claimed, “Let’s say it for the record, I’m not embarrassed by anything I’ve done. I guess my greatest crime is I had a relationship with a man, but that’s not something that I find embarrassing in any way.”
Willis narrowly avoided disqualification by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who instead forced her legal team to part ways with Wade in order for her to remain on the case. However, McAfee recently allowed Trump and his co-defendants to appeal his decision, meaning Willis could still be disqualified from prosecuting the former president.
“I know that I have not done anything illegal,” Willis maintained.
NEW: Fani Willis has zero remorse for screwing the same man she hired to go after Trump, says her "greatest crime" is having a relationship with a man.
The gaslighting is strong.
During an interview with CNN, Willis warned Trump that the "train is coming."
"I'm not embarrassed… pic.twitter.com/07BjrWv8vA
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 24, 2024
The district attorney was accused of improperly benefiting from her appointment of Wade, who was paid more than $650,000 for work on the Trump case, after defense attorneys revealed credit card statements showing Wade paid for luxurious vacations shared with Willis using his company credit card.
Willis and Wade both testified that he was repaid for vacation expenses in unreported cash transactions, or that the district attorney repaid her former lover by covering the cost of incidental expenses and excursions during their travels.
Despite multiple witnesses offering to testify their relationship started prior to Wade’s appointment as special prosecutor, Willis and Wade both testified and swore in court documents their relationship began in early 2022, just months after Willis selected him for the Trump case.
Willis also claimed to CNN the disqualification proceedings did not slow down her case against the former president.
“My team has been continuing the work, and I think that the media, especially organizations like your own, have been paying attention,” she told the outlet.
Willis continued, “All while that was going on, we were writing responses and briefs, we were still doing the case in a way that it needed to be done. I don’t feel like we’ve been slowed down at all, I do feel like there are efforts to slow down this train, but the train is coming.”
The outlet previously reported, quoting unnamed sources close to Willis, that the district attorney still intends to bring her case against Trump to trial prior to the November elections. CNN conceded, through quotes from legal experts, that an already difficult jury selection process may be further complicated by the disqualification proceedings.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Fani Willis” by Fani Willis and “Judge McAfee Hearing” by Judge Scott McAfee.
