Fani Willis’ office faces $17M bill in Trump prosecution

The office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may have to pay around $17 million to President Donald Trump and a dozen of his co-defendants under a new Georgia law.

Trump alone is seeking just over $6.2 million in attorney fees and litigation costs tied to his defense in Willis’ criminal election interference case that was dismissed after she was disqualified from it.

Most of the president’s co-defendants are similarly seeking compensation under a 2025 Georgia law designed with the case in mind. It allows criminal defendants to recover their attorney fees and litigation costs from prosecutors who have been disqualified, if the prosecution is dismissed.

Under the law, the defendants in the case had to seek fees within 45 days of it being tossed on Nov. 26 by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee.

All but two of the 15 defendants considered to be eligible to receive compensation have sought reimbursement, totaling more than $16.9 million. They include attorney and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer.

Misty Hampton, one of the two eligible defendants who has not sought attorney fees and costs, does not plan to do so, her lawyer, John Monroe, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Michael Roman is the other eligible defendant. His lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday.

Four of the 19 defendants indicted in the case pleaded guilty before Willis was disqualified and the case was dismissed. Those defendants — Scott Hall, Sidney Powell, Kenneth Chesebro and Jenna Ellis — have not sought defense costs under the new law.

Because of their plea agreements with prosecutors, they are believed to be ineligible to receive that reimbursement.

Hall’s lawyer declined to comment. Lawyers for Powell, Chesebro and Ellis did not immediately respond Tuesday to questions about the case.

Though Willis was disqualified from the case, her office has asked the judge to hear its arguments against the defendants’ requests for expenses.

In a recent court filing, Willis’ office asked the judge to impose a Monday deadline for any such requests. The DA’s office also sought a month to respond to those requests in writing and a chance to argue against them at a hearing in March.

McAfee has yet to rule on the associated motions. He recently lifted the lid on much of Willis’ evidence in the case that had been barred from publication.

In seeking their defense costs, many of the defendants criticized Willis, calling the case meritless and politically motivated.

Her office has pushed back, saying in recent court filings the 41-count indictment followed years of exhaustive investigation. Willis’ office said most of the defendants’ attempts to end the case were rejected by McAfee.

“To now award attorney’s fees predicated on arguments this very court has already considered and rejected would be inconsistent with those prior rulings, contrary to law, and would improperly shift the financial burden to taxpayers for litigation this court has already found meritless,” the DA’s office said in a filing Monday.