Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ prosecution of former President Donald Trump and his allies has made her a target of death threats, racist vitriol and even a formal complaint seeking to oust her from office.
At a closed-door fundraiser Tuesday celebrating her 52nd birthday, she took stock of the attacks hurled her way.
“If you are a leader, you’re going to be attacked. There are some days I’m human and I’m really angry or I’m hurt that somebody would tell a bold-faced lie on me,” Willis told dozens of donors who gathered at the Atlanta Fish Market.
She referenced Trump’s recent incendiary lie that she was in a relationship with a young gang member she was prosecuting.
“I think the craziest is I was sleeping with a gang-banger. I’m like, a 17-year-old? Like, what? I like them old! What are you talking about?” she said to laughter from the crowd, according to a recording obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Attendees said Willis didn’t mention Trump or any other case she was prosecuting at the private event, which cost donors between $250 to $3,300 to attend. But she did tell the birthday celebrants that she turns to Scripture when she feels particularly vulnerable.
Said Willis: “You have these personal moments, when you’re like, ‘Why am I being personally attacked and all I’m out here trying to do is my job?’ And in the reading of that Scripture, what it told me is you ain’t special. That if you are a leader and you’re put in a position where people are going to lie on you, and they’re going to attack you, you have to still do what is the mission. And the mission here is we keep society safe. That everyone is equal. And that the law is protected.”
Politically Georgia podcast listeners can hear Willis’ remarks on today’s edition. Listen and subscribe at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play or wherever you get your podcasts.
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SPEAKER MADNESS. One job plenty of people want but nobody seems to be able to claim is U.S. House speaker. Tuesday’s speaker vote for Rep. Jim Jordan failed by a wide margin, even after the Ohio Republican fired up the conservative pressure machine against his hold-out colleagues.
Twenty GOP members refused to back Jordan, denying him the 217 votes needed to win the gavel. Georgia’s delegation provided no surprises: All nine Republicans supported Jordan while the five Democrats joined every other member of their party to cast votes for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
The opposition to Jordan is rooted in fear and loathing. Swing district Republicans dread the 2024 voter fallout that could come with electing an ultra-conservative as speaker. The other anti-Jordan GOP members don’t want to reward their far-right colleagues for ousting Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as speaker and blocking Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s ascension to the job, as they did earlier this month.
Instead of holding a second roll-call vote Tuesday, Jordan spent the evening lobbying his critics ahead of an 11 a.m. vote today.
If another Jordan bid fails, expect members to consider giving interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., more power to bring legislation to the floor. That may require cooperation from Democrats, and those conversations are in early stages.
Count former GOP House speakers Newt Gingrich and John Boehner among the advocates of the stopgap solution. CBS News’ Robert Costa reported that Gingrich, who long represented a Cobb-based district, penned a column in support of empowering McHenry.
“Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry is a lot better solution than gridlock and chaos,” Gingrich wrote, according to Costa. “He should be empowered this week and let’s get on with the peoples’ business.”
Boehner amplified Costa’s post with a reply: “I agree.”
Former Speaker Gingrich tonight in his column: "Speaker Pro Tempore McHenry is a lot better solution than gridlock and chaos. He should be empowered this week and let’s get on with the peoples’ business."
— Robert Costa (@costareports) October 17, 2023
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ELECTION CANCELED. Early voting is underway for hundreds of municipal and county races across Georgia. But one city that won’t be voting is Gainesville.
Although several city council and school board terms expire this year, so few candidates qualified for the contests that the city canceled the election.
Gainesville Mayor Sam Couvillon said just one candidate qualified for each of the open seats and none of the incumbents drew challengers.
“We have six races and they’re all unopposed, so state law allows us to cancel the election so that we won’t spend the money,” he explained.
Couvillon said the lack of interest could be due to people not wanting to lose an election. Others we reached out to said angry constituents and low pay for local positions doesn’t help either.
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Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
Credit: Jason Getz/AJC
SHE’S RUNNING. We wrote in yesterday’s Jolt that Democrat-turned-Republican state Rep. Mesha Mainor is expected to seek reelection in 2024.
We can report this morning that she will indeed run in 2024 and has planned a campaign kickoff event in Atlanta on Oct. 24.
“Over the past two years I’ve had over 2,000 people reach out to me for help navigating their government. These aren’t people who care about Republican issues or Democrat issues, they care about their issues,” Mainor said. “And those are the people I will continue to serve in the Legislature.”
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Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
Credit: Miguel Martinez/AJC
PAPER OPTION? Georgia voters could elect to use a paper ballot to elect their leaders in 2024 under a proposed bill unveiled Tuesday by state Sen. Max Burns.
The Sylvania Republican chairs the Senate Ethics Committee, which oversees elections legislation. The AJC’s Mark Niesse reports the measure gives voters the option to fill out paper ballots in polling places and end reliance on voting computers.
Burns intends to introduce the bill in the 2024 legislative session, which opens in January. Count Gov. Brian Kemp, who would ultimately have to sign the legislation into law, among the skeptics.
“Georgians already have access to hand-marked paper ballots through no excuse absentee balloting by mail. Multiple processes for in-person voting will inevitably lead to longer polling place wait times, poll worker confusion, and delays in election results,” Kemp said.
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TODAY IN WASHINGTON:
- President Joe Biden spends the day in Israel. A second planned stop in Jordan to meet with that country’s leader and the leaders of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority was called off.
- The U.S. House votes to elect a House speaker.
- In the U.S. Senate, the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Israel — Jack Lew — testifies at a confirmation hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Lew served as U.S. Treasury secretary during the Obama administration.
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Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
Credit: Nathan Posner for the AJC
WARNOCK WARNING. Recent news reports assert Hamas’ operations against Israel are being partially funded through cryptocurrency to avoid U.S. sanctions. On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., signed on to a letter urging the U.S. Treasury to investigate and stop the flow of crypto to Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah for money laundering and financing for terrorist operations.
“Given the clear and present danger posed by the financing of these and other militant organizations, we ask the Administration to provide additional details on its plan to prevent the use of crypto for the financing of terrorism,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter was signed by Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate.
Sen. Raphael Warnock signs on to letter calling Hamas’ use of cryptocurrency to finance its operations “a clear and present danger” — and asking Treasury to stop it. #gapol pic.twitter.com/zWBcoQoDwc
— Patricia Murphy (@MurphyAJC) October 18, 2023
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STANDING WITH ISRAEL. The nine Republicans in Georgia’s congressional delegation produced a joint video to show support for Israel after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
One by one, each of the lawmakers talks directly to the camera, most of them starting with the words “I stand with Israel because …”
Credit: AJC
Credit: AJC
U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-The Rock, called the attack “horrific, shameful and heartbreaking.
“Our prayers continue to be with the people of Israel and we recognize that Israel has the absolute right to defend herself, and we will stand with them all the way,” said the west Georgia lawmaker.
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PERSONNEL FILE. Brandon Cockerham, the longtime spokesman for U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, has started a new gig as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Jim Baird of Indiana.
Loudermilk, R-Cassville, doesn’t employ a communications director or press secretary. But he does get help from the House Administration Committee’s communications staff since he is a subcommittee chair.
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Credit: Courtesy photo
Credit: Courtesy photo
DOG OF THE DAY. They say laughter is the best medicine, but we are more likely to prescribe laughter with a daily dose of these two — Jack and Mazy Durham.
Jack and Mazy call Lynn Durham their person, and she knows about prevention and treatment since she’s the president and CEO of the Georgia Center for Oncology Research and Education. Along with being a Capitol regular, she’s also a breast cancer survivor, so Jack and Mazy are wearing their pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Along with supporting their favorite causes, Jack and Mazy like short walks, long naps and hugs.
Send us your dogs of any political persuasion and location, and cats on a cat-by-cat basis, to patricia.murphy@ajc.com, or DM us at @MurphyAJC.
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AS ALWAYS, Jolt readers are some of our favorite tipsters. Send your best scoop, gossip and insider info to adam.vanbrimmer@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com and greg.bluestein@ajc.com.
