Georgia DA Fani Willis will forge ahead with her goal of putting Donald Trump on trial before the November election. Those close to her believe she intends to ask the presiding judge to schedule a trial date. And they think the date she requests could be as early as this summer.
The move is bold, considering the obstacles Willis has to surmount to get the case back on track. They paused the case for a two-month detour that shook Willis’ strong foundation.
The detour revealed embarrassing personal life details and damaged her credibility before Judge Scott McAfee. It has also left her politically vulnerable ahead of her reelection bid in November.
Willis narrowly avoided being disqualified over her romantic relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade. Wade resigned following a rebuke from McAfee, publicly questioning both Wade and Willis’s decision-making.
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Multiple sources close to Willis agree that the last two months have been a major distraction. They admit she brought it on herself. However, they also claim it only happened because of how much leeway McAfee gave DAs to attack Willis during the disqualification proceedings.
“Basically, this is a two-month sideshow that the judge should have not even let happen,” one Willis ally told CNN. “But it’s over, and the judge finally came to the right decision … And so now we’re back to where we never should have left, which is these people were under felony indictment. Let’s get a trial date.”
Sources close to Willis tell CNN that the DA’s office is effectively ready to go to trial. Once there is a date, Willis claims she needs only 30 days to prepare.
Defense attorneys have had since September to review the evidence and prepare their own arguments.
Willis previously requested a trial start in August 2024. Sources claim she plans to re-up the request now that she has survived the chaotic two months. It’s unclear exactly when Willis will make her second request to McAfee to set a trial date.
Willis and her team know well about the political damage from the last two months. However, they argue that their job is to prosecute the facts of the criminal case against Trump and his ilk, not worry about the political reverberations it causes.
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Meanwhile, McAfee is just about ready to end the whole affair. Since his disqualification ruling, he has shown readiness to move forward.
In fact, sources familiar with the case say he has asked attorneys on both sides about how to proceed with pre-trial motions.
One source told CNN that recent communications from McAfee include questions about which motions need oral argument and what needs more briefing before he can rule on them.
The two months Willis was investigated undoubtedly had far-reaching effects. She survived with her position intact, but Michael Moore, a CNN legal analyst and former US attorney in Georgia, questions whether Willis should even remain on the case.
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According to him, if she stays, she must show McAfee and the public she is in complete “control.”
“There is no question that the progress of the case has been impeded by unnecessary speed bumps and detours,” Moore said. “She simply cannot afford another unforced error that results in additional unfavorable comments questioning her candor or judgment.”
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