Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis may be the country’s most well known lawyer at this moment. She has garnered national attention for bringing RICO charges against Atlanta rapper Yung Thug and his Young Slime Life (“YSL”) organization. Willis has also gained national attention for bringing charges against former president Donald Trump and a bevy of other defendants for alleged election interference. Last week Trump co-defendant Michael Roman accused Willis of having a romantic relationship with Trump special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, and of using part of the nearly $1 million in legal fees paid to Wade to fund her lavish lifestyle.
Any hint of impropriety on the part of Willis looks bad, optically. Now, former Obama US Attorney Michael Moore is recommending that Willis remove herself from the case:
Moore: Cases are not lost because of some ‘Matlock Moment,’ some moment like you see in My Cousin Vinny where suddenly, somebody finds the evidence. Cases die by a death of a thousand cuts. This is a cut on the case … I’d tell her to get out of the case. I really think that this type of case, these allegations … this case is bigger than any one prosecutor. And I think to preserve the case and to show that what’s of most-importance to her is the facts of the Trump case as opposed to her political career.
These appear to be damning words coming from Moore not only due to the gravity of the case against Trump, but due to the fact Moore once worked under a democratic president. Moore’s words likely will not be taken as politically-motivated. The question of “truth” and “justice” are quickly leaving the U.S. lexicon, while the powers that be in the country tend to view everything from a political lens.
Last week Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan launched a federal investigation into the activities of Willis and Wade, in an attempt to determine whether federal funds were misused. Willis and Wade are expected to respond to the court about the nature of their relationship and to allegations brought by Roman’s lawyer. It remains to be seen whether Willis will remain on the case much longer, given the risk that distractions surrounding her and Wade could potentially overshadow the facts of the case.
