Will Georgia Republicans Try To Fire Fani Willis Before She Can Charge Trump?

The New York Times reports that Republican legislators in Georgia have submitted proposals to create an “oversight panel” of current and former lawyers and prosecutors who will be able to review the work of current prosecutors in the state. This board would also have the power to remove prosecutors if they find them to have engaged in “willful misconduct.” Critics of these proposals point out that Republicans would be able to choose the members of the panel and that the standards for removing a prosecutor are vague and subjective, meaning that Republicans could use the new law to fire prosecutors who are making decisions they don’t like.

The timing of the bill seems like a direct response to developments in the case that Willis has been building against Trump. A member of the grand jury that was convened to weigh the evidence and recommend possible indictments gave several interviews in which she hinted that multiple people will be criminally charged. Her comments have raised expectations that Trump himself may be one of the people facing criminal charges from the 2020 case. Such charges could come this summer, which would not only put Trump in serious legal danger but also disrupt his campaign to return to the White House.

After years of seeming to avoid accountability for a variety of misdeeds, it seems increasingly likely that Trump will soon face charges, possibly in several casesv. In addition to Willis’ case in Georgia, Trump is also being investigated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for possible crimes related to his payment of “hush money” to Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair with the adult actress. Trump is also being investigated federally for taking classified and sensitive documents when he left office and refusing to return them for over a year until his Mar-a-Lago resort was raided by federal agents. Trump is also being investigated for causing the January 6 Capitol Hill insurrection; the January 6 committee recommended that the US Attorney General charge trump as the instigator of the violent riot.

It remains to be seen whether Trump will ultimately be charged with his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election in Georgia. Republicans seem intent to rally around the former president and protect him, even if they have to change the law to do so. On the other hand, this investigation and others may be too far down the road to be turned back. Either way, both critics and supporters of the former president will be watching intensely to see what happens in Georgia.