What Fani Willis has up her sleeve
Someone who lies as prolifically as Donald Trump has no choice but to use other lies to cover his tracks. The Independent reported that Donald Trump claims to have a report that clears him of charges in Georgia. This report is likely just another figment of Trump’s imagination, especially since he claims the report details election fraud that occurred in Georgia. Georgia election officials counted ballots three times-including one hand count-and ran an audit, yet no fraud was found. Trump claims he will reveal the report in a “major News Conference at 11:00 a.m. on Monday of next week.” Don’t hold your breath.
While Trump continues to call the Georgia indictments flawed, Fulton County DA Fani Willis is moving forward with all due speed. Democracy Docket tweeted (or whatever you call it now) late yesterday afternoon that Willis has requested a March 4, 2024, trial date, but UPI News went into greater detail. According to that piece, Willis filed a motion for scheduling order, which includes arraignment of all 19 defendants the week of September 5. In her motion, she wrote: “In light of defendant Donald John Trump’s other criminal and civil matters pending in the courts of our sister sovereigns, the State of Georgia proposes certain deadlines that do not conflict with the other courts’ already-scheduled hearings and dates.” September 5 is mere weeks away, and March 4 isn’t as far as we might think. Willis indicated that this schedule gives defendants ample time to review the evidence against them. These quick dates indicate that Willis must have solid evidence.
Making matters even more interesting, Georgia is one of the few states in the nation that allows cameras inside its courtrooms, so all 19 should be prepared for their close-ups. Another thing that will be different in Georgia is that Trump may well receive his first mugshot. Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat has already warned that they will follow the same procedure with Trump as they do with any other defendants in the county. Labat said: “Unless somebody tells me differently, we are following our normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status, we’ll have a mugshot ready for you.” Trump may well regret breaking the law in Georgia before it’s all over.
The prosecution of all criminal charges against Donald Trump are important to the continuation of our democracy as we know it. We deserve candidates and representatives who recognize, support, and embrace our democracy so that everyone has a fair shot. People like Donald Trump want to take that away from us. He wants us to be like Russia where the rich rule and everyone else begs. We cannot and must now allow this to happen. These prosecutions are important to keep this type of “leadership” out of office. Others who even think about ruling in the manner of Donald Trump are not welcome, and the successful prosecution of him for his crimes is vital. Others will learn that they will suffer a similar fate should they dare to jeopardize life in the America we know and love.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years