By Richard Elliot, WBS-TV | Atlanta | April 5, 2023
ATLANTA — Former President Donald Trump accused Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis of being a racist and of pursuing her investigation into him as a way to interfere with the 2024 election.
Trump made those comments just hours after his arraignment on 34 felony counts in New York City.
Here in Fulton County, District Attorney Fani Willis’ own investigation continues and she told Channel Action News in an exclusive interview on Wednesday that she doesn’t care what Trump thinks.
“I don’t have any comment on what his opinions are of my investigation,” Willis said.
“In the wings, they’ve got a local racist Democrat district attorney in Atlanta who is doing everything in her power to indict me over an absolutely perfect phone call,” Trump said Tuesday night.
He’s referring to his now-infamous call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger when he asked Raffensperger to “find” 12,000 votes in the 2020 presidential election.
That call, along with the false electors meeting and false claims made by Trump’s attorneys, is now at the center of Willis’ months-long investigation into possible criminal influence in Georgia’s 2020 election.
Willis told Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne that Trump has a right to speak his mind.
“The comment does not concern me at all. It’s ridiculous in nature, but I support his right to be protected by the First Amendment and say what he likes,” Willis said.
Willis would not give details or a timeline on her investigation -- an investigation sped up after the final report by the special purpose grand jury.
While she supports Trump’s right to speak freely, she did warn him not to cross the line.
“People have that right to say whatever they choose to say as long as it does not rise to the level of threats against myself, against my staff, or against my family,” Willis said.
Trump also inferred that Raffensperger only complained about that phone call to promote his book.
There was no comment from Raffensperger’s office on Wednesday.