Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has suffered another major setback following the collapse of her high-profile case against President Donald Trump.
Willis, who was disqualified from the case in December, has come to symbolize the missteps of aggressive efforts to prosecute Trump ahead of the 2024 election. Her credibility was further damaged when it was revealed that she had hired her romantic partner to work on the case, raising serious ethical concerns.
Now, Georgia taxpayers could be on the hook for the mountain of legal bills former President Trump has amassed.
The possibility became real after Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a bill allowing defendants to recover public funds in cases where state prosecutors are later disqualified. Passed by the Republican-controlled state legislature, the legislation is widely viewed as opening the door for Trump to seek reimbursement for millions in legal fees tied to the failed prosecution led by Willis.
The Democrat prosecutor charged Trump and 18 others with conspiring to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results—a case that ultimately stalled before reaching trial due to allegations of nepotism.
Months after securing Trump’s historic mugshot, Willis faced accusations of hiring fellow prosecutor Nathan Wade, with whom she was romantically involved, to help lead the case. Wade was reportedly paid approximately $700,000 over a two-year period.
In December, the Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from the case, though the decision could still be reviewed and potentially overturned by the Georgia Supreme Court.
Attorney Steven Sadow, who represents President Trump in the case, told Forbes that Kemp’s decision to sign the bill “represents a major turning point in holding unethical, opportunistic and deceitful prosecutors accountable for their misconduct.”
However, Sadow did not mention whether the president will exercise his new right to request that Georgia taxpayers provide the funding.
At the peak of his four criminal and two civil trials, Donald Trump was reportedly spending up to $50 million per month on legal expenses. A substantial portion of his 2024 campaign fundraising was redirected to cover the costs of defending against the case brought by Fani Willis and other legal battles.
The Georgia Supreme Court has not yet indicated whether it will hear Willis’s appeal of her disqualification, but the case against Trump may be effectively dead regardless of the court’s decision.
If Willis is allowed to remain involved, her continued presence would likely irreparably compromise the case. If she is barred from further participation, responsibility for appointing a new special prosecutor would fall to the executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia—a process that could take years to complete.
