Trump seeks $6.2M from Fani Willis' office over election case | AP News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
ATLANTA (AP) — President Donald Trump is seeking more than $6.2 million in attorney fees and costs from the Fulton County District Attorney's office after the election interference case brought against him and others was recently dismissed.
Georgia state legislators last year passed a law that says that if a prosecutor is disqualified from a case because of their own improper conduct and the case is then dismissed, anyone charged in that case is entitled to request "all reasonable attorney's fees and costs incurred" in their defense. The judge overseeing the case then is responsible for reviewing the request and awarding the fees and costs, which are to be paid from the budget of the prosecutor's office.
Trump is seeking a total of $6,261,613.08 in a motion filed Wednesday.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office were removed from the case over an "appearance of impropriety" created by a romantic relationship she had with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case. The prosecutor who took over the case late last year dismissed it in November.
Willis obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others from a grand jury in August 2023, using the state's anti-racketeering law to accuse them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn Trump's narrow 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia. The alleged scheme included Trump's call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger urging him to help find enough votes to beat Biden. Four people pleaded guilty in the months following the indictment.
"In accordance with Georgia law, President Trump has moved the Court to award reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred in his defense of the politically motivated, and now rightfully dismissed, case brought by disqualified DA Fani Willis," Steve Sadow, Trump's lead attorney in Georgia, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment on Trump's filing. But last month, when another person charged in the case made a similar filing, her office filed a motion asking to be heard on the matter of any claims for fees and costs filed in the case.
Willis' motion raises concerns about the law passed last year that allowed Trump and others to seek to have their expenses paid.
"The statute raises grave separation-of-powers concerns by purporting to impose financial liability on a constitutional officer, twice elected by the citizens of Fulton County, for the lawful exercise of her core duties under the Georgia Constitution," her motion says.
Her motion also says the law violates due process by "retroactively imposing a novel fee-shifting scheme" that creates a substantial burden for the county's taxpayers without any recourse.
Her motion contends that the prosecution "was neither arbitrary nor political" and was based on an "exhaustive investigation spanning years." It notes that a special grand jury that reviewed evidence and testimony recommended charges and a regular grand jury issued the indictment.
Defense attorneys sought Willis' removal after one of them revealed in January 2024 that Willis had engaged in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she had hired to lead the case. The defense attorneys said the relationship created a conflict of interest, alleging that Willis personally profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
During an extraordinary hearing the following month, Willis and Wade both testified about the intimate details of their personal relationship. They maintained that their romance didn't begin until after Wade was hired and said that they split the costs for vacations and other outings.
The trial judge, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, rebuked Willis, saying in an order in March 2024 that her actions showed a "tremendous lapse in judgment." But he said he did not find a conflict of interest that would disqualify Willis. He ultimately ruled that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, which the special prosecutor did hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed that ruling, and the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis from the case in December, citing an "appearance of impropriety." The Georgia Supreme Court in September declined to hear Willis' appeal.
It then fell to the nonpartisan Prosecuting Attorneys' Council to find a new prosecutor. The agency's executive director, Pete Skandalakis, ended up taking on the case himself and dismissed it less than two weeks later.
KATE BRUMBACK Brumback covers courts, immigration, elections and breaking news. She is based in Atlanta.
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The President has become very adept at winning appeals and lawsuits.
If "adept" means bullying and threatening people into settlements or appealing to stooges he appointed to the bench.
I think in this case "adept" means having the law on your side!
Any citations for that claim???
Trump loses 93% of cases in court. We know, because we sue Trump and win.
Trump’s Success Rate In The Courts So Far: 31%
The thing about this that I don't like is that the taxpayers will be charged twice for all of this. First they paid to fund the office and Willis in her case, and now they will pay restitution in lawyers fees and costs to Trump and his legal team. Personally I think that the DA should be held responsible for this, not the taxpayer. Similar to how some states allow judges to award fees against a losing party if the case was frivolous, brought in bad faith, or involved significant misconduct, often via statutes or court rules.
It seemed from the beginning that this case brought by Willis was brought about for partisan reasons and if DA's themselves can be held liable then they may stop playing partisan games and actually concentrate on upholding the laws.
The case was brought because Trump is on audio asking an election official to find him 12,000 votes.
Come on, I mean gimme a break. So frivolous. /s
Yeah. Since when is it wrong for a President to demand that state officials fake election results?
So rather than actually respond to the intent of the posting, you respond with Trump. Do you not think that Fanni Willis did anything wrong? Do you not think that it's just wrong to take money from the taxpayer twice for this one action?
I think there is a certain amount of incompetence associated with Fani Willis, but it was perfectly reasonable to indict Trump for election interference.
So just a certain amount of incompetence then.
But then the case was tossed by another DA who decided that the case was not winnable. That tends to speak to more than just a certain amount of incompetence, that seems to be leading to malice or willful negligence. IMO that furthers the reasoning why the DA who failed so miserably on this should be the one who is financially responsible rather than the taxpayer who already paid once for this.
That's just spin.
More spin, and that's not how it works in America.