'Methodical' prosecutor Fani Willis moves closer to likely Trump indictment: 'I refuse to fail'

18 July 2023

Donald Trump has the distinction of being the first former president in U.S. history who is battling federal and state criminal charges while trying to get back in the White House.

So far, Trump has been the clear frontrunner in the 2024 GOP presidential primary, leading Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by 39 percent in I&I/TIPP and Morning Consult polls released this month. His legal problems are not hurting him among Republican primary voters, many of whom view the prosecutions as politically motivated.

Between special counsel Jack Smith's 37-count prosecution for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg Jr.'s 34-count case, Trump is up against 71 criminal counts altogether. And that number could increase if investigations of his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results lead to indictments.

One of those probes is being conducted by Smith; the other is being led by Fulton County DA Fani Willis for the State of Georgia. Forbes' Alison Durkee, in a report published on July 18, notes that in Georgia, "A special grand jury has already issued its final report — which reportedly recommended multiple people be indicted, though the details of the report largely remain sealed — but a second regular grand jury still would have to vote to indict Trump or any of his allies, because the special grand jury didn't have the power to do so."

Trump has been trying to stop Willis' case from moving forward. But so far, he has been unsuccessful. Durkee reports that Willis has "signaled it's likely that any indictments would be unsealed in August, with charging decisions expected between July 31 and August 18."

Willis' history is the focus of an article written by Wall Street Journal reporters Cameron McWhirter and Jan Wolfe and published on July 16.

The Fulton County DA declined to comment on Trump's case but told WSJ, "Our office has very few cases that are no-billed…. I refuse to fail."

In legal parlance, a no-billed case is one in which a grand jury decides not to indict.

McWhirter and Wolfe emphasize that Willis has a reputation for being a tireless workaholic who arrives at her office at 6:30 AM and typically stays "until at least 7 PM."

As Fulton County DA, they add, Willis has "been coping with a historic surge in violent crime that hit Atlanta, fueled as in other cities by COVID-19 turmoil, racial unrest and a resurgence of drug-gang wars."

"Her office has brought charges against alleged gang members, and she has held news conferences announcing arrests," the WSJ reporters observe. "Violent crime has dropped during her tenure."

Willis' office has spent more than two years probing Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. According to McWhirter and Wolfe, the DA's friends have given her turtle figurines because of her admiration for that animal. Willis told WSJ, "They are methodical, but they get to their destination.”

McWhirter and Wolfe report, "In the election probe, Willis reached immunity deals in April with at least eight Republican Party activists who were part of a group in 2020 that falsely declared Trump the winner in the state. Willis also wrote a letter to the Fulton County sheriff stating she would announce 'charging decisions' in the probe between July 11 and September 1."

Read Forbes' report at this link and find the Wall Street Journal's Fani Willis article here (subscription required).

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