Donald Trump’s co-defendant Trevian Kutti has said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should step down from her role.
Willis has been in court this week for a hearing regarding alleged misconduct while in public office. The hearing relates to her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired in November 2021, the same year she was sworn in as Georgia’s top prosecutor, and whether she profited from the relationship. Willis charged Trump, Kutti and 17 other co-defendants in August 2023 with conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
Some of the former president’s co-defendants attended the hearing on Thursday as Willis took the stand to defend herself against the allegations first made by Mike Roman, one of Trump’s other co-defendants, who alleged that Willis financially benefited from her relationship with Wade.
Kutti, who has been indicted on charges of witnesses intimidation and making false statements in the historic legal case, said Willis, “for her own sake, she should have recused herself.” She also said that she is prepared for her day in court when it comes, and maintained her innocence in the case.
ALYSSA POINTER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
When asked by Channel 2 reporter Mark Winne why she attended the hearing, Kutti said: “I think it’s a phenomenal moment for justice and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” She reportedly traveled from her home in Chicago to witness the hearing in person.
During the hearing, Willis denied that she had profited from the relationship. Newsweek has contacted the district attorney’s via email for comment.
Bank statements filed in Wade’s divorce case suggest that he paid for Willis to fly on two trips. Provided by his wife, Joycelyn Wade, the statements show that Wade purchased tickets for himself and Willis on two occasions: one trip to Miami bought in October 2022; and the other to San Francisco purchased in April 2023. Willis said she reimbursed Wade in cash for the cost of her travel.
If evidence is found to support Roman’s claims, Judge Scott McAfee could disqualify Willis from the case. She and Wade have both acknowledged the relationship but denied any accusations of impropriety. It would also delay Trump’s trial, potentially until after the November presidential election, while the case is transferred to an alternative prosecutor’s office.
Trump has also taken aim at Willis since the allegations came to light. Posting on Truth Social, he wrote in a February 16 post: “They’re talking about the Georgia ‘Fani Scandal’ all over the World. In fact, by far, it is trending #1. I can’t believe the Georgia State Judiciary, or the Governor, can be happy about this humiliating embarrassment.”
The post continues: “The legal pundits, experts, and scholars are all screaming that this Witch Hunt, which has hurt so many fine people and patriots, should be immediately terminated and permanently erased from everyone’s memory. The stench of what has happened should shame Georgia no longer. It should get back to GREATNESS, and FAST!!!”
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.