Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis defended her handling of the now-dismissed Georgia election interference case during testimony before state lawmakers on Wednesday, pushing back against criticism from a Republican-led Senate committee.
Appearing before a special Georgia Senate panel, Willis defended her decision to charge former President Donald Trump and 18 others over efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, including Trump’s Jan. 2, 2021, phone call urging Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to reverse his loss in the state.
Four of Trump’s co-defendants later reached plea agreements and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. However, Willis was eventually disqualified from the case following allegations of improper conduct related to her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The case was later dropped.
During her testimony, Willis accused lawmakers of attempting to intimidate her and other prosecutors.
“You all want to intimidate people from doing the right thing, and you think you’re going to intimidate me,” Willis said, citing what she described as thousands of threats directed at her home and office. “But I took an oath to do the right thing. People came into my community and committed a crime, and I indicted them.”
She added that she would not hesitate to bring charges again if similar conduct occurred in the future.
Republican senators questioned Willis extensively about her prosecutorial decisions, staffing choices and spending on the investigation, particularly regarding Wade. When asked about the cost of the case, Willis replied, “Whatever it cost, they tried to steal the rights of thousands of Georgians. It couldn’t have been enough.”
At several points, Willis responded sharply to lawmakers’ questions, dismissing some as “ignorant” or “dumb,” while her attorney characterized the committee’s inquiry as a “witch hunt,” echoing language frequently used by Trump.
Trump, who pleaded not guilty to all charges in the Georgia case, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
