Prosecutors in Georgia had a tense exchange about racism with lawyers in the Trump case
The debate among attorneys in the Georgia criminal case against former President Donald J. Trump grew heated last week, with Fani T. Willis, the district attorney leading the prosecution, telling defense attorneys in an email that 'some people will never be able to respect African Americans.”
The email exchange, portions of which were obtained by The New York Times, took place in the days before and after a co-defendant of Mr. Trump accused Ms. Willis of having a romantic relationship with the outside lawyer she hired as a special prosecutor. to manage the business. The emails suggest that even before the explosive allegations emerged, talks between the two sides became tense.
On Thursday, a judge in Atlanta scheduled a Feb. 15 hearing on the allegations, which were made in a request by the court to have the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, join Ms. Willis and her entire office in dismissing the case. The judge, Scott McAfee of the Fulton County Superior Court, ordered Ms. Willis to file a written response to the motion by Feb. 2 and appear at the hearing, which will be televised like all other proceedings in the case.
The recent tense exchange unfolded in a group email thread involving prosecutors and defense attorneys in the case. It started when Mr. Trump's lead lawyer in Georgia, Steven H. Sadow, expressed exasperation with prosecutors for ignoring a request from him. On January 5, he wrote to prosecutors: “I cannot for the life of me understand why you are refusing to respond to the series of emails below.”
Five days later, Daysha Young, a prosecutor who, like Ms. Willis, is black, wrote that she and Ms. Willis “are both aware, especially as an African-American woman, some find it difficult to treat us respectfully.”
She added: “The emails from some of you over the past month have been disrespectful and condescending, lacking professionalism and decorum.” Ms Young also said she did not respond to some emails because they were disrespectful.
Mr Sadow, who is white, responded with an email saying it was “offensive, inappropriate and untrue” to suggest racism was at play. He also said Ms. Young's lack of response to some of the defense's emails “suggests a degree of hubris.”
Then Mrs. Willis weighed in.
“In the legal community (and in the world at large), some people will never be able to respect African Americans and/or women as their equals and counterparts,” she wrote in a note addressed to Mr. Sadow but sent to the entire defense. lawyers, most of whom are white men. “That is a burden that you do not experience. Furthermore, some are so used to it that they are not even aware that they are doing it, while others are deliberate in their continued disrespect.”
Ms. Willis also advocated for her own fortitude. “Now you know, I can't be bullied,” she wrote. “So I don't even think anyone on this team thought anyone was stupid enough to try that as a tactic. As you know, I have now experienced some of the most powerful people in the country calling me everything but a child of God. Yet I and my team continue to pursue justice.”
Mr. Sadow declined to comment when asked Thursday about the exchange, as did Ms. Willis' office.
In a speech on Sunday at a historically black church in Atlanta, Ms. Willis suggested that racism played a role in the allegations against her and Mr. Wade, who is also black. The defendant who made the allegations, Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official, argued in a lawsuit last week that Mr. Wade is not qualified for the job. He wants Mr. Wade, Ms. Willis and her office removed from the case.
Ms Willis did not address the claim that she and Mr Wade were romantic partners in her church speech. She pointed to the frequent racist threats she has been exposed to since she began her investigation into Mr. Trump in 2021.
Mr. Trump has tried to portray the Georgia case and other criminal cases against him as unfair “witch hunts” motivated in part by him being a white man. He has baselessly called Ms. Willis a “racist,” and said the same about other black prosecutors handling cases against him. During a speech in August, Mr. Trump delivered a speech unsubstantiated claim that Ms. Willis “had an affair” with a “gang member.” She said it was fake.
It is unclear whether the allegations about the relationship between Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade, filed in court on Jan. 8, will have a substantial effect on the case against Mr. Trump and his 14 co-defendants, who each face one charges of violating the state's racketeering law, as well as other charges, over their efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia.
The filing, which also seeks to dismiss the charges, alleges that their romantic relationship — for which no evidence was presented — amounts to a conflict of interest for Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis.