Fani Willis’s voice did not tremble when she announced the fourth indictment against former President Donald Trump on Monday night (2017-2021), accused this time of having tried to manipulate the results of the 2020 elections in the state of Georgia.
“It’s important to remember that everyone charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Willis said in a firm voice, standing confidently on a podium in front of dozens of reporters.
One by one, he mentioned the names of 19 defendants in the case, beginning with the former president whom he referred to by his full name -Donald John Trump- and whom he identified as the head of a criminal organization that conspired to manipulate the electoral results in Georgia.
Willis became the best-known face of the case in Georgia, maintaining a high public profile with multiple appearances before the press that have not been without criticism.
(Also read: Fourth criminal indictment against Donald Trump: what is he accused of in Georgia?)
Trump himself, who starts as the favorite to obtain the Republican presidential candidacy in the 2024 elections, has used his platform on Truth Social to personally attack Willis and question his research, claiming that it is politically motivated.
Who is this prosecutor?
Who is Fani Willis?
Willis was born in California but raised in Washington, where her father, a lawyer and former member of the Black Panthers (a communist organization) often took her to court. She remembers that when she was eight years old, she was already ordering the files, both murder and drug cases.
Instead of upsetting him, this experience oriented his steps: studied in the capital at Howard University, an institution historically with a high proportion of black students, and later at Emory Law School in Georgia. He graduated with a law degree and opened his own law firm.
(You may be interested in: Abecé: Georgia and the other accusations that Donald Trump faces in the United States today)
If I committed a crime, I would not want Fani Willis to prosecute me
Willis became the first black woman elected as Fulton County District Attorney, spanning Atlanta, just months after incumbent US President Joe Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by a narrow vote.
Deals with often complex cases, like a scandal of falsifying test results in Atlanta public schools, homicides and gangs.
It has also prosecuted Atlanta rapper Young Thug under the so-called “Rico Law”, a text that is often used against the mafia and gangs. The same one he relied on to frame Trump and 18 other people.
In judicial circles, she is recognized for her ability to establish connections with jurors, witnesses and detectives, as well as for her steadfastness in confronting those she believes are hindering a case, reports The Washington Post.
(Also: Impeachment Against Trump Points Out Problems, But Still Popular With Many)
“She’s a pit bull,” Vince Velázquez, an Atlanta police officer quoted by the Washington Post, said of her.
“If I committed a crime, I would not want Fani Willis to prosecute me,” added the agent, who has worked with her frequently.
Willis launched the investigation against Trump after The Washington Post revealed in January 2021 that the former president had pressured the Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to reverse the results in that state.
Raffensperger, who has the responsibility of certifying election results as secretary of state, revealed that Trump urged him to “find” the votes needed to overturn Biden’s victory in that state.
(You can read: Can Trump be the first to win the US presidency from jail?)
Over time, the Willis case expanded to include other attempts by Trump to interfere in the electoral process, including attempts by his lawyers to steal voter data from a rural Georgia county.
Trump, as he usually does with his adversaries, has given him a nickname: “Fani-La Falsa”. Her Truth Social platform is brimming with pejorative adjectives about her: “Very underperforming,” “very corrupt,” “out of control,” and even “RACIST.”
The former president and his campaign team they also accused her of having “campaigned and raised funds with (the slogan) ‘I’m going for Trump'”.
(Keep reading: What’s next for Trump after pleading not guilty to 2020 election conspiring?)
At a rally, the former Republican president even hinted that the prosecutor had an affair with a gang member.
Willis, who said he has received threats, trusts his work. “I refuse to fail,” the mother of two daughters, who works from 6:30 a.m. to at least 7 p.m., told the Wall Street Journal.
Besides, He has stated his commitment to treat Trump like any other defendant, by virtue of his firm belief in the equality of all before the law. However, he has warned that he rarely fails and that the cases he pursues often end in convictions.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With AFP and EFE
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