Sex, money, and power. That’s what drove District Attorney Fani Willis to bring flimsy racketeering and conspiracy charges against former President Donald Trump and others in Georgia, according to a court filing this week that demands the case be tossed out.
The scheme that Willis purportedly concocted reads like a steamy Harlequin romance novel, replete with a secret lover and luxury trysts financed by taxpayer dollars as they plotted to elevate her career by destroying a political opponent seeking to retake the White House.
Pull up a beach chair and dig in.
The salaciously shocking accusations by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman threaten to upend the Fulton County prosecution of the former president by disqualifying the DA and even dismissing entirely her prosecutions for election interference.
There’s a lot of slime to unpack here. But it begins with the curious decision made by Willis to hire —allegedly without authorization — a private attorney by the name of Nathan Wade to honcho the case against Trump, even though he has scant experience in felony cases and zero involving racketeering. That would normally make him an unqualified prosecutor.
So, what was going on?
Perhaps Wade has other skills because Roman claims that the Trump-hating DA and her married subordinate were having an affair before and after she retained him. So far, neither one has denied the liaisons. To complicate matters, Willis has been subpoenaed by Wade’s wife to appear as a witness in their divorce case on January 23. That’ll be stimulating.
Oh…but there’s more.
County records show that Wade was paid a whopping $654,000 for his "work," which is hard to fathom by any compensation standard. The court motion contends that Willis and her paramour then used some of the cash for lavish vacations taken together at resorts in Napa Valley, California, Florida, in the Caribbean and even on cruise ships.
TOP TRUMP PROSECUTOR, GEORGIA DA ALLEGED TO BE IN 'IMPROPER' ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP: COURT FILING
I’m guessing there wasn’t much incriminating Trump evidence to be gathered in those distant luxury travel venues. But you never know what you’ll find on board one of those popular cruise lines. Ever watch reruns of "The Love Boat?"
Billing records also show that Wade traveled to Washington, D.C. for two different meetings at the Biden White House, which are identified on the invoices as 8 hours each. This would put a lie to Willis’s earlier statements that her prosecution of Trump was never discussed or coordinated with his election opponent.
I have long argued that the Georgia case is tainted by the stench of political prejudice, manipulated evidence, and a shameful contortion of the racketeering laws. But now, one is left to wonder whether it was titillating "pillow talk" that led to inventing charges against Trump.
In a sane world, the Georgia trial judge should hold an open hearing and demand honest answers. The accusations are serious, the conflict of interest appears to be is self-evident, and the ethical impropriety, if proven, is severe. Of course, so far, there are no formal charges and everyone is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
If warranted, the judge must refer the matter to the state attorney general, Christopher Carr, for immediate investigation of Willis and Wade. Obviously, the District Attorney’s office cannot be trusted to investigate itself. And neither can the feds appointed by Biden and controlled by his lapdog Merrick Garland at the Justice Department.
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In the meantime, the misbegotten racketeering case against Trump should be halted until an independent probe is concluded so that the public can be assured that this dubious prosecution was not poisoned at the outset by unethical or even corrupt conduct.
If the allegations have validity, Willis’s actions demand her removal from the case and, potentially, the charges dropped against Trump and all other defendants. The previously negotiated plea agreements could be vacated due to prosecutorial misconduct.
Willis might want to consult with a criminal defense attorney for some advice. Just a suggestion. Did she and her lover conspire to attack Trump while enriching themselves and promoting her political career as the darling of Democrats who torpedoed Joe Biden’s nemesis? It sure looks like it could be the case. Still, there has been no investigation yet and no charges.
If the allegations are true, funneling county money to your amorous partner and then sharing the financial fruits for extravagant recreation smacks of misappropriation of public funds and honest services fraud. As the court filing alleges, Willis and Wade were "profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of taxpayers."
One can even contend, as Roman does, that it was Willis and Wade who were running an organized criminal enterprise known as racketeering, not Trump. But that’s probably a love boat too far.
All of this suggests that the integrity of the DA’s case in Fulton County, Georgia has been irreparably jeopardized by what appears to be a compromising breach of the public’s trust.
Fani Willis has emerged as the antithesis of a disinterested and objective prosecutor. But given her past history of partisan targeting, is anyone really surprised?
If you’re a "Fani fan," don’t fret. Should her legal career crater, she may still have a bright future as a romance novelist with intimate experience.
