Republicans are after Fani Willis down in Georgia, probably because they know she’s after them and she’s damn close. Lawmakers are considering bills that would create state-level oversight and lower the threshold for recalls. From the New York Times:
The debate in Georgia is unfolding against a backdrop of growing concerns about urban crime, particularly in Atlanta. But Ms Willis was a centrist law-and-order prosecutor who has targeted some prominent local rappers in a wide-ranging gang case. She’s also part of the changing face of Georgia’s justice system: The state now has a record number of minority prosecutors — 14 of them — up from five in 2020, the year Ms. Willis, who is black, elected to office became. And, of course, there’s the Trump investigation, the latest trigger in the partisan infighting that has engulfed the increasingly divided state for years. Ms. Willis’ investigation is about whether Mr. Trump and his allies attempted to disregard Georgia’s democratic process through numerous interferences following his narrow defeat in the state in 2020.
We heard from other counties too. There is also talk of an attempt to call Willis back.
The measure was introduced after some prominent Trump supporters in Georgia promoted the idea of a recall campaign against Ms Willis, although such an action would likely not succeed in Fulton County, a Democrat stronghold. Among those supporters is US Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who tweeted in August that Ms. Willis is using taxpayer money “for her personal political witch hunt against President Trump, but will NOT prosecute the crime in Atlanta!”
Now there are certainly problems with the power that local prosecutors can exercise. Much legal flotsam remains of previous “tough crime fight” campaigns, not to mention the immortal legacy of the War on Drugs. An independent commission to examine these could be a very good idea. But I don’t think that’s the case here.
But the surge in legislative support for such efforts can hardly be separated from the Trump investigation. Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones, a Republican who publicly supports the bills, was informed by Ms. Willis’ office that he was under investigation; He was among a group of fake pro-Trump Georgia voters who were part of a multi-state conspiracy to overthrow President Biden’s victory. Senator Cowsert also hinted during his heated exchange with Ms. Willis last month that he had a specific case in mind. When Ms. Willis began explaining that she had made prosecuting gangs and violent criminals a priority, Mr. Cowsert interjected, “We don’t read that in the newspaper you’re prosecuting.” In a subsequent interview, Ms. Willis said, “I am very curious. Someone might want to ask him what case he’s talking about. Because I have 20,000 cases in this firm.”
So far, Willis has proven she doesn’t mess around. I wouldn’t get in the ring with that woman. But they come at her from all directions. I hope she at least has someone to take care of her.
State Senator Brandon Beach, another Republican prosecutors have named as a target of the investigation, recently introduced a bill that would introduce new restrictions on the kinds of details grand jury members can publicly reveal about their activities. The bill came after the chair of the special grand jury in the Trump inquest, Emily Kohrs, gave a series of interviews in which she described some of the proceedings in camera, albeit within the limits set by the judge .
The squeaking must be deafening by now.
Charles P. Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a journalist since 1976. He lives near Boston and has three children.
