Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's Democratic challenger predicted that there would be "a lot of conflicts of interest" in former President Donald Trump's Georgia case.
Christian Wise Smith, a Democrat who served as Atlanta city solicitor and as a Fulton County prosecutor, filed paperwork on Friday to run against Willis in the state's May 21 primary. MAGA attorney Courtney Kramer is also running to defeat Willis.
Back in September, Wise Smith had offered an analysis of the sweeping RICO case that Willis was bringing against Trump and his allies, anticipating that the defense would likely run up against conflicts of interest. Not only is Atlanta's legal community small, there are also 19 co-defendants in the case, setting up potential overlap when it comes to legal representation.
In his commentary, Wise Smith told MSNBC that Willis' list of witnesses would likely include individuals who seem to be "surprises," but that would be "very, very vital when getting certain pieces of evidence submitted." Noting that co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro had, at the time, retained the same lawyer who previously represented Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Wise Smith said: "we're going to see a lot of conflicts of interest."
Newsweek reached out to Wise Smith via phone for comment.
Although Wise Smith had not discussed the possibility of a conflict of interest on the prosecution's side, Willis' relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade has become a vital challenge in the election interference case. After it was revealed in a court filing in January that Willis and Wade were romantically involved, several defendants in the case have filed motions to have Willis' office disqualified from the prosecution.
While Willis and Wade say that their relationship is not a conflict of interest, the defense has argued that just an appearance of impropriety is enough to remove them from the case. During the evidentiary hearing, Judge Scott McAfee recalled that there have been a number of cases where prosecutorial disqualification was granted solely based on an appearance of a conflict of interest.
The misconduct claims have not only threatened what was previously seen as the strongest of the four criminal indictments against Trump, but also loom largely over Willis' political career. Although the district attorney struck an optimistic tone while filing for reelection last week, she has drawn challengers in both Wise Smith and Kramer.
Before either of her opponents had qualified for the race, Willis told reporters: "This is a democracy we live in, and so people have a right to run for office, but they should come prepared for a fight."
Wise Smith previously ran against Willis in 2020 and campaigned on reforming the local criminal justice system, including promises to no longer seek the death penalty, eliminate cash bail and decriminalize drug possession.
He lost the primary to Willis and former District Attorney Paul Howard, who both advanced to a runoff. Wise Smith, who received about 23 percent of the Democratic vote, later endorsed Howard, saying he was concerned by the Atlanta Police Union's support for Willis.
Willis went on to easily defeat Howard, a six-term incumbent whose reelection was plagued by accusations of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. A jury found him not guilty in December.
"Today, I officially qualified for the office of Fulton County District Attorney," Christian Wise Smith wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday. "This decision was made with Fulton County residents at heart. In the coming weeks, I hope look forward to engaging the community and earning the vote in Fulton County."
Despite the political headwinds, Willis is still the favorite to win thanks to her name recognition, incumbency and sizable campaign donations. Fulton County is also a Democratic stronghold. President Joe Biden carried the county with 72 percent of the vote in 2020 and Hilary Clinton won with almost 68 percent of the vote in 2016.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. and world politics. ... Read more
