By Itoro N. Umontuen
From – https://theatlantavoice.com/
Reprinted – by Texas Metro News
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis quietly walked into the Georgia State Capitol on Wednesday to fill out paperwork and pay the fee necessary to run for re-election. It was a pretty routine experience for Willis, who was elected to the office in 2020.
“I didn’t think it would be as exciting. But it turns out the second time, it’s still a charm,” Willis told reporters. “And I’m really excited. I’ve said it before: being the district attorney of Fulton County is the greatest honor of my entire life. I love this community, and it’s my home. It’s where I raise my children. It’s where I want to keep safe. I’m honored to serve. I’m honored for just the outpouring of support that I continue to get. And I am so excited to be here again, today! I feel giddy!”
About ninety minutes earlier, Georgia state Senate Republicans wrapped up a hearing into whether or not they should set new ground rules for district attorneys statewide. The investigation has the green light from Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones.
Ashleigh Merchant, the defense attorney pushing to disqualify Willis from the Georgia RICO case (which indicted nineteen people on forty-one felony counts related to the attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election in the Peach State), was the Republicans’ star witness.
Merchant maintains Willis’s relationship with co-counsel Nathan Wade was unethical. Merchant, who testified under oath for three-and-a-half hours, argued Willis paid Wade $250 per hour for his services. Then, she argued the DA benefitted from the fact Wade was able to take Willis on vacations to the Bahamas, Miami and Napa Valley.
Additionally, Merchant filed a motion on Jan. 8 that sought to toss out the indictment and to bar Willis and her office from continuing the prosecution of Trump and his allies.
Willis has continually denied any allegations of misconduct. In a filing this week, she urged Judge Scott McAfee to reject the motion to disqualify her, saying that in order to disqualify an elected district attorney, “an actual conflict of interest must be proven” — which she says the defendants have not done.
“I think it’s all just a political quest,” Willis said. “I think that people are angry because I’m going to do the right thing. And I’m going to stand up for justice, no matter who is the person that may have done wrong in Fulton County, and so they can continue on with their games, and I’m going continue to do the work of the people.”
Willis said she will discuss with her legal counsel regarding if she would testify in a future Georgia Senate committee hearing. However, Willis had one message for anyone willing to challenge her in November’s elections.
“This is a democracy we live in and so people have a right to run for office, but they should come prepared for a fight,” said Willis. “They should know that my heart is still in this work. My heart will continue to be in this work and I intend to be the D.A. for the next four years and nine months.”
