Fani Willis Faces Backlash From Fulton County Residents

Fulton Country residents have spoken out against Fani Willis, amid the ongoing fallout from her alleged affair with Nathan Wade.

Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, has come under pressure amid allegations about her relationship with Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in the Georgia racketeering case against former president Donald Trump

Trump and 18 others are accused in a 41-count indictment of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges against him and has repeatedly said the case is part of a political witch hunt aimed at undermining his position as frontrunner for the GOP 2024 presidential nomination.

Former Trump staffer Michael Roman, a co-defendant, made the accusations about Willis without evidence, and sought to disqualify her and Wade from the trial. Willis and Wade said on February 2 that they had had a romantic relationship but denied this represented a conflict of interest. An evidentiary hearing on the matter is scheduled for February 16. Newsweek contacted Willis via LinkedIn to comment on this story.

At a Fulton County Board of Commissioners public hearing on Wednesday, Fulton County residents gathered to voice their concerns about Wallis' conduct.

"Fani Willis isn't serving this community; she wasn't even before she became absorbed with her own legal problems. No one believes that now amid new lawsuits, congressional investigations and subpoenas that she will start doing her job," resident Julie Allen testified.

"The community deserves a prosecutor whose first priority is public safety and the rule of law, not helping Joe Biden win in 2024. For the good of this state, she must resign."

Another resident, Kevin Muldowny, said: "What the hell is going on? I know you guys write the checks. She is an embarrassment to the board and to the citizens footing the bill."

"Fani is doing exactly what Fani wants; whether it's carrying on an adulterous relationship with an underqualified stud she hired or ignoring a direct request from a sitting commissioner for a full audit," he continued, as per The New York Post.

Despite ongoing criticism, on Monday night, a coalition of 17 ethics experts, former prosecutors and defense attorneys filed a court briefing arguing that Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee should dismiss motions alleging Willis acted improperly.

Meanwhile, speaking to Newsweek, Matthew Mangino, a former district attorney in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, said he does not believe Willis' actions were sufficient grounds for her to be disqualified.

"I don't think Fani Willis did enough to get disqualified," he said. "There doesn't appear to be a conflict of interest or any forensic wrongdoing. With that said, at a minimum Nathan Wade should step down. Although the mere appearance of a conflict [of] interest is not enough—this issue has created a distraction."