At first glance, the allegations of a secret romantic affair between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the special prosecutor she appointed, Nathan Wade, appeared to threaten the election interference case Willis has brought against Donald Trump and his numerous co-defendants.
The damaging narrative pushed by Trump allies was that Willis appointed Wade, who is an inexperienced prosecutor, due to their personal relationship, paid him exorbitant amounts of money, and then benefited herself when he took her on a couple lavish vacations.
It was a nice neat scandal, from the Trumpian perspective, one that implied both prosectors should be removed from the case.
But, while Willis and Wade initially remained silent about the controversy, now they have spoken, confirming that they are involved but denying any improprieties that would rise to the level justifying their removal.
Meanwhile, independent reporting by Michael Isikoff and Daniel Klaidman has emerged that suggests a different narrative from the initial one. They say Willis did not want to appoint Wade but that the more experienced prosecutors she approached refused to get involved due to fears for their safety from the many death threats from Trump supporters.
They also detail the extraordinary measures Wilis herself has had to take to protect herself from similar threats.
One of the most shocking details in the authors’ account is that Willis has had to make use of a body double when leaving her office due to assassination threats on the dark web.
Furthermore, in their statements, Willis and Wade say their relationship did not begin until after his appointment, and that they split the costs and used personal funds for the trips they took together.
If the couple’s version is truthful and stands up to the inevitable scrutiny it will receive, this scandal, however salacious to some, would not rise to the level for either official to be removed by the judge from the case.
What’s at stake here?
This is the only attempt by any state prosecutor anywhere in the U.S. to try and hold Trump and his partners accountable for trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
The evidence of their guilt in very strong in Georgia. In the interest of justice, let’s hope it proceeds to trial.
HEADLINES:
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US strikes Iran-backed groups as Israel-Hamas war rages (CNN)
U.S. strikes in Syria and Iraq kill dozens of militants (WP)
California Atmospheric River: "High Risk" For Life-Threatening Flash Flooding on Sunday (Weather.com)
Threats Against Fani Willis Were So Severe She Reportedly Had to Leave Courthouse In Disguise, Use a Body Double (Atlanta Black Star)
The U.S. economy is booming. So why are tech companies laying off workers? (WP)
Amazon and Meta—Nothing Artificial About These Results (WSJ)
World Court takes part of Russia-Ukraine genocide case (Reuters)
The ‘runt’ of Trump cases now likely to be his first criminal trial (WP)
Supreme Court may look to the Civil War to resolve whether Trump can be on the ballot (NBC)
Former Montana Supreme Court justice joins other top judges in support of keeping Trump off ballot (Daily Montanan)
Trump backers air grievances at Texas border rally (Reuters)
What is happening on America’s border? (Economist)
Biden nets landslide victory in South Carolina Democratic primary, over 95% of votes (CNBC)
Security News This Week: China’s Hackers Keep Targeting US Water and Electricity Supplies (BBC)
Nuclear missile found in US man’s garage (Telegraph)
Google is planning some big changes for Bard — including its name. (Verge)
AI May Very Well Change Our Species (Jacobin)
Spider Catches, Whips Shoe Right Back At Woman (The Onion)
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