Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has slammed her critics as “idiots” in a speech as she awaits a decision regarding whether she can remain on Donald Trump‘s Georgia election-interference case.
Willis is leading the case against Trump and 18 others accused of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. The presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, lost the state by some 12,000 votes.
However, scrutiny turned to Willis after it emerged that she had a relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in the high-profile case. It was alleged that Willis and Wade had benefited financially from taxpayers’ money. The pair later admitted they had a relationship but denied a conflict of interest.
Following a hearing, Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, allowed Willis to remain on it as long as Wade resigned, which he promptly did. However, Willis is still facing pressure from critics. Last month, the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to hear Trump’s appeal of the disqualification ruling, and the trial has been delayed, pending that decision.
Speaking at a church in Marietta, Georgia, on Thursday, Willis said she was tired of people attacking her.
“What can I say?” she added. “I live the experience of a Black woman who is attacked and oversexualized. See, I’m so tired of hearing these idiots call my name as ‘Fani’ in a way to attempt to humiliate me because, like silly school boys, the name reminds them of a woman’s rear, of her behind.”
Newsweek contacted representatives for Willis by email outside of normal business hours to comment on this story.
Willis did not name people who have attacked her; however, in recent weeks, she has been subjected to mockery from high-profile figures. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani sparked controversy after calling Willis a “ho”—a slang word meaning “whore”—at an event in a Michigan church on Friday.
Giuliani also mocked Willis’ name. “Now F-A-N-I is not ‘Forny,’ and I’m not calling her ‘Forny,’” he said. “I could drop the ‘ho’ part if she’d just quit and go away. But, to me, if you spell your name F-A-N-I, you’re ‘Fanny.’ You’re not ‘Forny.’”
Meanwhile, speaking to Newsmax‘s Carl Higbie earlier this month, Trump legal spokesperson Alina Habba reacted to news that the trial would be delayed by appearing to mock Willis’ name. “She’s fallen on her fanny since the very beginning,” Habba said of the DA.
“This has completely been a disaster. It was a fake case to start with. Her arrogance, her demeanor has been incredibly telling,” Habba added.
Trump himself attacked Willis during a rally in Ohio in March when he said, “fanny, like your a**,” when talking about her name,
In her 25-minute speech, Willis told supporters: “What I’m here to tell you is to not concern yourself with insults of me. I promise you, I don’t concern myself with them.
“I am too busy working 15-hour days trying to use every talent God gave me to fulfill my God-given purpose,” she added.
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The post Fani Willis Responds to Critics: ‘Idiots’ appeared first on Newsweek.
