Embattled Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis in a speech Friday seemed to defy a judge’s recent warning to not play “the race card,” insisting she’ll talk about race “anyway.”
During her remarks at the South Fulton Women of the Shield Awards, Wills said that “it’s hard out here always having to prove yourself two and three times.”
“Recently, they tell me they don’t like me to talk about race. Well, I’m going to talk about it anyway,” she remarked.
Wills’ comments seemed to be in reference to the recent order by Judge Scott McAfee in which he said that her racially charged rhetoric of “playing the race card” was “legally improper.”
JUDGE IN GEORGIA SLAMS FANI WILLIS’ ‘IMPROPER’ CHURCH SPEECH, ‘PLAYING THE RACE CARD’
Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis looks on during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on March 1. (Alex Slitz-Pool/Getty Images)
McAfee’s comments were in his decision that said Willis could stay on the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump if she removed special counsel Nathan Wade, with whom she was accused of having had an “improper” affair.
Willis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
In his order, McAfee separately took issue with a speech made by Willis at an Atlanta church in January of this year, when she claimed she and Wade were being scrutinized because of their race.
While Willis later claimed not to be referring to the defendants in her accusations of racism, McAfee warned that such a distinction was not clear.
“In these public and televised comments, the District Attorney complained that a Fulton County Commissioner ‘and so many others’ questioned her decision to hire SADA Wade. When referring to her detractors throughout the speech, she frequently utilized the plural ‘they.’ The State argues the speech was not aimed at any of the Defendants in this case. Maybe so. But maybe not. Therein lies the danger of public comment by a prosecuting attorney,” McAfee wrote.
The judge found that Willis’ reference to “so many others” in her speech at the church left ambiguous who she was accusing of racial motivations — coming dangerously close to compromising the case.
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Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis testifies during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Feb. 15. (Alyssa Pointer)
“Truth is, there’s some challenges that come with being Black. And I see so much greatness in this city that has so many great African American leaders. And I appreciate all of the sacrifice that you all have had to make to be in these positions,” Willis said to the crowd on Friday.
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Fulton County, Georgia, Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee (Alyssa Pointer/Reuters/Bloomberg via Getty Images )
The event, hosted by the South Fulton Police Department, was held to “shine a spotlight on 12 extraordinary women who have made remarkable contributions to law enforcement and community impact.”
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Willis thanked South Fulton Police Department Chief Keith Meadows for having “the intelligence to create an event like this where we recognize that you’ve had to go through a little more to serve.”