Don’t be fooled. The drama televised from a Georgia courtroom into the homes of millions of Americans over the past few weeks is not a serious attempt to clear Donald Trump’s name. Instead, you should see it for what it is: another act of deflection by Trump and his enablers.
After weeks of testimony, a Georgia judge will soon determine if Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her staff will remain on the election interference case against Trump and his co-defendants. But we are only having this conversation because Team Trump wants to distract us and delay the impending proceedings.
We can’t lose sight of the stakes: They tried to steal an election.
Under Georgia law, there are two ways a prosecuting attorney can be disqualified from a case: 1) a conflict of interest, or 2) forensic misconduct. The latter has not been alleged and Team Trump has done a terrible job of proving the former even exists. So why are we even here? Because Trump, his former chief of staff, a number of his attorneys and local officials attempted to undo his 2020 election loss in Georgia.
As Willis said when she took the witness stand on Feb. 15: “You’re confused. You think I’m on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
We can’t lose sight of the stakes: They tried to steal an election.
Willis responded to their bold scheme with a sprawling racketeering case against Trump and his allies. But instead of focusing on the substance of the indictment, lawyers for Trump and some of his co-defendants decided to attack Willis’ personal life.
First, they claimed Willis financially benefited from her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. But as is the case with so many other Trump distractions, his legal team is now moving the goal post. In court, Trump’s lawyer accused Wade of perjury over his testimony on the timeline of his relationship with Willis.
On Tuesday, a lawyer for one of Trump’s co-defendants tried to undercut Wade’s testimony by questioning his former divorce attorney Terrence Bradley. Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, relentlessly grilled Bradley over his knowledge of the office romance. Bradley testified he was “speculating” when Merchant brought up a text chain in which Bradley claimed the relationship started before Willis was elected Fulton County district attorney in 2020. Willis and Wade both swore under oath that their romance didn’t start until 2022, after Wade had begun working the election interference case.
The Black woman who dared bring one of the most significant state criminal cases in U.S. history is having her reputation dragged through the mud because of it. Her credibility and her qualifications are being questioned because she has the audacity to seek accountability.
It’s all too predictable.
It should surprise no one that Trump’s allies are targeting Willis, in part because she’s good at her job. And in part because her case poses one of the biggest threats to Trump’s political career: A presidential pardon cannot erase a felony conviction in Georgia.
It is not acceptable.
During coverage of Tuesday’s testimony, MSNBC host Katie Phang described Bradley as someone who “passed along idle gossip about a relationship between Nathan Wade and Fani Willis,” adding: “But gossip and innuendo do not make evidence.”
I found myself wondering this week: If Fani were instead a man named Frank, would the idle gossip about their personal life be enough to produce the daytime spectacle we have all witnessed?
I highly doubt it.
Team Trump thought Willis would be an easy target. They thought the daytime-TV spectacle and salacious gossip would be enough to take her out.
Fani Willis is still here. The Georgia election meddling case is ongoing.
Willis’ office has already secured four guilty pleas. Trump’s co-defendants Kenneth Chesebro, Jenna Ellis, Scott Hall and Sidney Powell all accepted plea deals late last year. It’s a reminder that this case is solid. In October, Ellis, a former Trump campaign lawyer wiped away tears while she read her statement. “If I knew then what I know now, I would have declined to represent Donald Trump in these post-election challenges. I look back on this full experience with deep remorse,” Ellis said in a Fulton County courtroom.
We can’t let Trump’s gimmicks distract us from the bigger picture: There was a full-throttle effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Whatever way the judge rules, we can’t let Trump’s gimmicks distract us from the bigger picture: There was a full-throttle effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election. And Trump was the one with his foot on the accelerator.
Trump has expressed no remorse for his multipronged coup plot. And it’s not just the Fulton County case. Trump is also seeking to evade accountability in all his legal cases. On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear Trump’s broad claim of presidential immunity. It’s a ridiculous attempt to avoid a federal trial over his attempt to nullify the 2020 election results. Even if the justices rule against Trump once they hear the case in April, these legal maneuvers achieve Trump’s goal: delay, delay, delay.
Our courts can’t let Trump railroad our justice system. And as Americans, we must all resist the daily soap opera of Trump’s distractions. Trump and his allies are still working overtime to upend the democratic process on multiple fronts. The hearings in Fulton County are just the tip of the iceberg. Here’s hoping a real trial for accountability gets underway soon.
Our democracy depends on it.
