Judge Allows Trump, Co-Defendants To Pursue Millions In Fani Willis Legal Fees
Judge Allows Trump, Co-Defendants To Pursue Millions In Fani Willis Legal Fees
Fani Willis, the controversial District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, faced a significant setback this week when a judge denied her request to intervene in ongoing litigation regarding the reimbursement of legal fees stemming from her now-dismissed election case against Donald Trump and several co-defendants.
The ruling by Judge Scott McAfee allows efforts to recover nearly $17 million in attorney fees and costs to proceed following the collapse of the high-profile prosecution last year, Zero Hedge reported.
In August 2023, Trump and 18 others were indicted in Fulton County for allegedly conspiring to overturn then-President Joe Biden’s narrow election victory in Georgia. However, the case was dismissed in November, prompting Trump and several co-defendants to seek reimbursement for the legal expenses incurred during the prosecution.
Willis’ office attempted to intervene in the fee litigation to block these claims. However, Judge McAfee ruled that the District Attorney’s office had no legal standing to participate, as Willis had already been disqualified from the case. He noted that the state was represented by a temporary District Attorney appointed after Willis’ removal, indicating that the office’s interests were already adequately represented in the proceedings.
Nonetheless, McAfee did grant Fulton County itself permission to intervene in the case, as the county funds most of the District Attorney’s office and could ultimately be responsible for any reimbursement ordered by the court.
The dispute revolves around a 2025 Georgia law that allows defendants to recover attorney fees if a prosecutor is disqualified and the case is later dismissed. The decision to allow the reimbursement claims to move forward could have significant financial implications, potentially exposing taxpayers to substantial costs if these requests are approved.
Trump himself is seeking more than $6.2 million in attorney fees from the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office under this statute.
Willis argued that the state law allowing reimbursement of legal fees was unconstitutional and maintained that her disqualification was not the reason the case was ultimately dismissed. However, Judge Scott McAfee declined to pause the reimbursement process at this stage.
Willis was removed from the case in December 2024 after attorneys for Donald Trump and several co-defendants argued that her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade created a conflict of interest. They also cited public statements Willis had made about the prosecution.
In September 2025, the Supreme Court of Georgia declined to review Willis’s removal from the case. Following that decision, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia was tasked with identifying a replacement prosecutor. The case was later dismissed.
Trump attorney Steve Sadow praised McAfee’s decision in a statement posted on X, saying the judge had “properly denied DA Willis’ motion to intervene” in Trump’s effort to obtain reimbursement of attorney fees.
Trump also criticized Willis after the Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal regarding her removal from the case.
“What Fani Willis did to innocent people, patriots that love our country, what she did to them by indicting them and destroying them, she should be put in jail,” he said.
The next portion of the litigation will focus on assessing whether the requested reimbursements are reasonable according to the law. A judge will review the fee claims, including Trump’s request for over $6.2 million. That evaluation process may take several weeks or even months and could potentially result in appeals.
In 2023, Willis indicted Trump under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, alleging that he engaged in illegal activity in his efforts to contest the results of the 2020 presidential election.
The case was eventually dismissed, and in December 2024, the Georgia Court of Appeals stated that a lower court had erred in allowing Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who was also her romantic partner, to choose to step away from the case.
The court ruled that the “significant appearance of impropriety” meant Willis and her office should be “wholly disqualified.” Willis appealed that decision, but she lost in court.
Mamdani Makes Controversial Move As Conflict With Iran Intensifies new
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted controversial anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil and his family for a Ramadan dinner at Gracie Mansion. Khalil, a Syrian-born activist and former Columbia University graduate student, attended the gathering with his wife, Noor, and their young son, Deen, The New York Post reported. The mayor posted about the event on Instagram on Monday, including a photo from the evening.
Last night, as we marked the one-year anniversary of his detention, Rama and I were honored to welcome Mahmoud, Noor, and their son Deen to Gracie Mansion to break our fast together,” Mamdani wrote.
The photo showed Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, holding a plate of food while standing next to Khalil, who sat smiling during the meal.
The dinner was held during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when many Muslims fast from dawn until sunset before gathering with family and friends to break the fast.
Khalil was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement early last year and has been fighting deportation proceedings.
The Trump administration accused Khalil of committing fraud on his green card application.
Officials have also alleged that Khalil supports Hamas, the Palestinian militant group responsible for the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Israel.
The administration has relied in part on a rarely used federal statute that allows noncitizens to be deported if their beliefs are deemed a potential threat to U.S. foreign policy interests.
Mamdani praised Khalil in his social media post and described the past year as difficult for the activist and his family.
For Mamdani, Khalil’s year “has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage,” he wrote.
“And yet, even in the face of that cruelty, there has also been beauty. New Yorkers raising their voices in solidarity. A city refusing to look away. Mahmoud won his freedom, and a father was finally reunited with his child,” the mayor added.
Khalil spent several months in federal custody at a detention facility in Louisiana while the case moved through the courts.
During that time, Khalil’s son was born while he remained in ICE custody.
Mahmoud is a New Yorker, and he belongs in New York City,” Mamdani wrote.
Mamdani has repeatedly defended Khalil during the legal battle.
Khalil was released from custody after a three-judge panel in New Jersey ruled in June that he should have been allowed to pursue the immigration process outside of detention.
The mayor argued earlier this year that Khalil’s arrest raised broader questions about free speech protections.
“I see this attack on him as part of a larger attack on the freedom of speech that is especially pronounced when it comes to the use of that speech to stand up for policy to human rights,” Mamdani said at a press conference in January.
Khalil has also drawn criticism over comments he made regarding the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel.
In an interview with The New York Times, Khalil described the violence as a turning point in the Palestinian struggle.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t avoid such a moment,” Khalil said. “To me, it felt frightening that we had to reach this moment in the Palestinian struggle.”
Critics said the remarks appeared to justify the attacks carried out by Hamas.
The White House condemned the comments at the time and accused Khalil of minimizing the brutality of the assault.
Khalil later drew additional attention after appearing at an anti-Israel rally in New York City following his release from custody.
During the rally, he quoted alleged Hamas terrorist and Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif, who was killed in an Israeli missile strike last August.
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“The time is now, the bridges towards liberation start with us,” Khalil said as he repeated what he described as al-Sharif’s final words.
The dinner at Gracie Mansion comes as the controversy surrounding Khalil continues to draw attention in both political and legal circles.
