Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis beat attorney and author Christian Wise Smith The Associated Press projects Tuesday’s Georgia Democratic primary. The 52-year-old prosecutor is vying for another DA term as his prosecution of former President Donald Trump and the state’s 2020 election meddling case remains tied up in Georgia’s appeals court.
“I plan to win and win big,” Willis predicted in an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow on Monday night. “I’m at a point where I need the voters of Fulton County to get out and vote.”
Willis will now face Republican challenger Courtney Cramer in the fall general election. According to his LinkedIn profile, Cramer was an intern in the White House Counsel’s Office during the Trump administration and a litigation consultant to the Trump campaign in Georgia after the 2020 election.
Wiz Smith previously ran against Willis in 2020, along with then-District Attorney Paul Howard.
“People are ready for a change,” Wise Smith told CBS News. People are tired of the same old from that office. People want clean air.
Wise Smith, 41, called for Willis’ resignation on Monday. He pointed at the couple GOP-led congressional investigation A study of the use of federal funds by the district attorney’s office.
Last week, GOP Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Johnson sent a letter to Willis, requesting information about several Justice Department grants, saying “the Fulton County DA may have misused funds from these grants to fund unrelated travel or purchase computers and ‘swag.'”
“This is a very serious job where people trust you to do the right thing and to have constant allegations of misuse of these funds, it’s time to go,” Wise Smith said.
The House Judiciary Committee is also investigating the district attorney’s funding and has threatened to hold Willis in contempt of Congress. This month, Chairman Jim Jordan also asked former special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who was romantically linked to Willis, to testify before the panel.
Willis has denied any wrongdoing.
“Jim Jordan attacked my office from time to time for a legitimate purpose,” Willis said. “He’s now turned his tricks into looking at the grant programs I’m inviting him to, and we’ve served his subpoenas, but he’s still making attacks to interfere with criminal investigations.”
A Georgia state Senate committee has also opened an investigation into Will’s office and said it is ready to subpoena him. Willis said the investigation was “illegitimate.”
“So it’s going to fail and it’s not going to go anywhere,” he said.
Willis launched an election sabotage investigation into former President Trump’s efforts Cancel the 2020 elections Shortly after winning the first term in Georgia. He announced last summer Alleged racketeering against the former president and 18 co-defendants. Four defendants pleaded guilty.
earlier this year, The district attorney revealed the romantic relationship with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade overseeing the case. Wade resigned in March after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued Disqualification attempts by Willis are denied If Wade stepped aside. McAfee himself won re-election Tuesday in a nonpartisan contest, AP projects, defeating civil rights attorney and media commentator Robert Patillo.
The State Appellate Court of Georgia agreed to review the appeal by former President Trump and several of Willis’ co-defendants, which could delay a potential trial until after the November election.
With campaign signs in parts of Fulton County, Willis has not mentioned Trump’s case in his ads.
“I took on gangs and violent criminals,” Willis says in a TV ad that aired in metro Atlanta. “We’ve seen the third largest drop in crime in America.”
Willis, who is the first woman to lead the Fulton County DA’s office, points to her experience in the community, including establishing a pre-trial diversion program to offer offenders second chances, initiatives aimed at at-risk youth and greater transparency in the law. enforcement.
Wise Smith founded the National Social Justice Alliance Against Police Brutality, a nonprofit, and says his goal, if elected, is to end mass incarceration and “dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline.” If elected, Day One said he hopes to establish an internship and mentorship program at the school. Wise Smith also wants to shift non-violent marijuana and THC cases, expunge old non-violent convictions and focus more on victim-oriented crimes.
“Right now, so much time is spent prosecuting marijuana, it’s spent prosecuting crimes where the underlying or underlying cause was mental illness or drug addiction or homelessness,” Wise Smith explained. “If we partner with resource providers that can change lives, then I’ll have more lawyers, more investigators, more money and more time to attack the rapes, robberies, murders and crimes that really affect our safety.” .”
Wiz Smith was the only candidate to show up for last month’s Atlanta Press Club debate, where he spoke to an empty podium. Willis did not attend.
Wiz Smith told CBS News that he “respects the voters’ decision, no matter which way it goes” in the primary, but did not say whether he would support Willis if she moves forward.
Willis hopes to win despite the ongoing challenges.
“I’m not going to break and I’m going to stand here and do my job legally,” Willis said.
