(RepublicanDaily.org) – Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, is running for re-election, but she snubbed the first Democratic Party debate for the position, leaving her challenger debating an empty podium instead.
The moderator of the debate – which was hosted by the Atlanta Press Club – said that Willis had “declined to participate” in the event and was “represented by an empty podium.”
Her challenger, Christian Wise Smith, who is an author and attorney, was instead allowed to pose questions and offer rebuttals on how he believes Willis would have answered his queries. Smith first raised the issue of Willis’ absence, pointing out that she was more involved with national issues and events – such as attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, rather than tackling problems Fulton County is currently facing.
“What are you doing to address the issues in the jail?,” Smith asked. “What are you doing to address the backlog?,” he asked, and pointed out that Willis’ no-show was enough indication to show where her priorities are.
Smith also raised the issue of Willis’ relationship with attorney Nathan Wade, whom she hired as a special prosecutor to assist with the Georgia indictment of former president Donald Trump. Smith pointed out that Willis signed off on a million-dollar paycheck for Wade, a case of favoritism that he said “hurts everyone else in Fulton County.”
Wade has since stepped down from the team prosecuting Trump, after Judge Scott McAfee issued a ruling in March that gave Willis an ultimatum of being allowed to stay on the case only if Wade would be removed. McAfee also said that the relationship between the two could easily be seen as a conflict of interest.
Instead of participating in the debate, Willis opted to serve as a co-host for the “Self Care Fair” event in Atlanta, an annual gathering that commemorates Crime Victims’ Rights Week.
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