Fani Willis, the District Attorney of Fulton County, once again grabbed attention with her statement about the impending prosecution of former President Donald Trump and his 14 co-defendants, referring to it as the “train is coming.”
Despite facing potential disqualification in the previous case involving election subversion by the former president, due to her romantic involvement with her former lead prosecutor, Willis has affirmed her unwavering commitment to the case. She emphasized that the disqualification attempt did not impede her progress, as she diligently continued her work throughout the two months of court proceedings.
“While that was going on, we were writing responsive 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 think there are efforts to slow down this train, but the train is coming,” Willis said Saturday at an Atlanta-area Easter event.
“We’re not going to miss or skip a beat because of all the noise or distraction on one case. We’re going to continue to do our work,” she added.
The District Attorney informed CNN that she does not believe it is necessary for him to regain her reputation among the residents of Fulton County.
“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 I find embarrassing in any way. And I know that I have not done anything that’s illegal,” Willis told the outlet.
“I am not a perfect human being, but what I am is a hard-working human being, and a human being that loves the community I serve and who understands this seat does not belong to me, it belongs to the people,” Willis later added, telling CNN she feels “more loved” by the community following the intense scrutiny over her relationship with ex-special prosecutor Nathan Wade. “And as long as I’m here, I’m going to try to do the job in a way that’s honorable.”
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Andrew Fleischman, a defense attorney based in Atlanta, expressed concern regarding the comments made by Willis.
“Prosecutors announcing at the outset of a case who they’re indicting, the charges being brought and why is fine, but they should not make public statements that have no legitimate law enforcement purpose even in the context of a political campaign,” Fleischman said.
“They strengthen arguments for gag orders and disqualification, and they harm the public’s trust that this trial is about holding people accountable for crimes they have committed, rather than as part of an overall political strategy,” Fleischman added.
According to Fleischman, Fani violated a Georgia prosecutorial ethics rule prohibiting prosecutors from “making extrajudicial comments that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation of the accused.”
“Saying that the ‘train is coming’ and implying that the defendants will now get less favorable plea deals because of a motion that was filed seems like it is meant to heighten condemnation of the accused,” Fleischman said.
Fleischman added, “On the other hand, the defense may prefer that she keep talking, and may ask to submit clips of her interviews as evidence at trial.”
“I do think that the credibility of the case has taken a terrible hit because of her conduct,” Cunningham said, arguing that the “odor of mendacity” that Judge McAfee wrote in his decision earlier this month remains over the prosecution and “dissipates if she takes a leave.”
