The view outside the Lewis R. Slaton Courthouse this morning reminded me of that August day in 2023 when the world came to the gates of Fulton County Jail. It was hot that day, and thousands of supporters of former United States President Donald J. Trump were lying in wait for him to arrive at the jail to get his now-famous mugshot. If you’re not certain which mugshot I’m referring to, no worries, I completely understand. After all, there are several to choose from.
The satellite trucks from both local and national media outlets and the crowds of reporters stationed outside the jail On Thursday morning were similar to that day in August. The circus comes to town. On Thursday, the circus returned, but this time Trump played a bit part to the star of the show: Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Willis took the witness stand during day one of a hearing to see if Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott F. McAfee would remove her and her office from one of the most high-profile cases in the country. Willis’ testimony followed hours of testimony from special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis and Wade admitted that they were once in a romantic relationship before he was hired to join the team that would face off against Trump and his lawyers. It was McAfee’s job to listen to both sides, and if Willis’ testimony was any indication of what is to come -she’s scheduled to return to the witness box again at 9 a.m. on Friday, this might not be a tough decision for McAfee.
“You think I’m on trial, you’re confused; these people are on trial,” Willis told attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Michael Roman. She was referring to a total of 19 people indicted for election interference in Georgia, including Roman. Willis is right; she’s not on trial.
“It’s highly offensive when somebody lies about you,” she said to Merchant.
Willis stood her ground and, during the couple hours on the stand, was very transparent about the trips to Aruba, Belize, Napa Valley, and aboard cruise ships that she took with Wade during their relationship. At this point, there is no reason for either Willis or Wade to hide the details of the relationship. My question remains: Why does that even matter?
Willis may have come across as aggressive to the thousands upon thousands of people who watched the live feed of the hearing on CNN.com, but she stood her ground at the center of the circus tent.
Watching Willis explain to Merchant and other attorneys present the claims of impropriety, she came across as the serious former private attorney who once campaigned against and defeated former longtime Fulton County Paul Howard to become the first Black woman to be Fulton County District Attorney.
No Georgia laws were broken by Willis, or Wade, for that matter. Willis is not on trial. She is, however, in the circus, and at least on Thursday, she was the ringmaster.