5 takeaways from Fani Willis’ state Senate testimony

What was once billed as the trial of the century has now become a political spectacle.

That was clear Wednesday when Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was summoned before a Republican-controlled Georgia Senate committee. The panel was stacked with GOP lawmakers who view her fate as a political opportunity now that her election interference case against President Donald Trump and his allies is dead.

Here are five takeaways from Wednesday’s contentious hearing:

1. Both sides came ready to fight.

Willis arrived with unmistakable indignation at being hauled before the committee after a lengthy legal battle. State Sen. Greg Dolezal, R-Cumming, who is running for lieutenant governor, occasionally struggled to keep the hearing on track. That was true particularly when Willis’ attorney — former Gov. Roy Barnes — dared the committee to “make my day” and hold his client in contempt. At other moments, Willis’ visible frustration seemed to play directly into Republican hands. As one senior GOP official later put it, every word she said would now be scrutinized by a team of Justice Department lawyers since it was all under oath.

2. There were flashes of farce.

Senators cut off Willis’ microphone several times as she continued speaking. She blasted one Dolezal inquiry as a “dumbass question” in an aside to Barnes that was caught loud-and-clear on the audio system. Other times, she leveled her rage directly at Dolezal. “I don’t need daddy telling me how to do my work,” she said. And then there was this shot at a certain former Trump ally from Georgia. “I’m not Marjorie Taylor Greene. I ain’t gonna quit in a month because somebody threatened me.”

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

3. We didn’t learn much new.

The hearing produced little that could be described as game-changing. Viewers got a fuller picture of how Willis prepared to take office and how her prosecutorial team operates. Dolezal pressed her repeatedly about her decision to hire Nathan Wade, the former special prosecutor with whom she had a romantic relationship, as well as how he was paid in the office. Dolezal also pointed to travel records showing Wade and others from the office visiting Washington, suggesting coordination with Democrats to prosecute Trump. Willis fired back that the trip was likely aimed at gathering information on “some of the criminals I ended up indicting.”

4. Sen. Bill Cowsert was a no-show.

State Sen. Bill Cowsert worked for more than a year to get Willis to testify. But the Athens Republican, who is running for attorney general, didn’t attend the hearing because he said he was still recovering from a medical procedure and wasn’t cleared to travel yet. Willis called him a coward.

5. No one left happy.

Dolezal estimated that Willis spent “80% of her time not answering the questions.” And Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II, the chamber’s top Democrat, said it was a nothing burger. “Basically, this was a waste of time,” he said.

Things to know

Good morning! Department of Human Services Commissioner Candice Broce is scheduled to testify before state lawmakers today for the first time since her agency suspended or eliminated funding for several foster care programs.

Here are three other things to know for today:

Ralston’s call

Credit: Hyosub Shin / AJC

Credit: Hyosub Shin / AJC

Donald Trump’s demand that Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “find” enough votes to overturn his 2020 defeat in Georgia is the stuff of political legend.

But lesser known is a call Trump made to then-House Speaker David Ralston urging him to call a special session to invalidate the results.

The AJC reported in March 2023 of the contents of the call involving the late legislative leader, who died in 2022. Late Wednesday, The New York Times published the recording for the first time.

The call took place on Dec. 7, 2020, as GOP leaders faced pressure to summon lawmakers to Atlanta to heed Trump’s demand to investigate the election results. Ralston, Gov. Brian Kemp and then-Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan had issued a joint statement weeks earlier ruling it out.

In a roughly 12 minute call, Trump called Gov. Brian Kemp “crazy,” a “stone head” and a “knucklehead.” He dubbed Raffensperger a “disaster” and slammed Duncan as a “jerk.”

And when he asked Ralston to call the special session, he framed it as a way to boost “transparency and to uncover fraud.” He added: “Who’s gonna stop you for that?”

Ralston responded with a characteristic chuckle: “A federal judge, possibly.”

Campaign event

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

Credit: Natrice Miller/AJC

While Wednesday’s dramatic state Senate hearing was mostly about the dismissed Fulton County election interference case, the race for Georgia’s next attorney general had a memorable cameo.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis invoked her support for Democratic state Rep. Tanya Miller’s candidacy, at one point directly asking people to give Miller some money “so we can get a good attorney general in here.”

Miller said she was grateful for Willis’ words, telling the AJC’s Michelle Baruchman that the hearing highlighted how prosecutors across the state are stretched far too thin. Former House Minority Leader Bob Trammell, Miller’s opponent in the Democratic primary, declined to comment.

On the Republican side, politicos thought the hearing would be an advantage for state Sen. Bill Cowsert, who as chair of the committee would command the bulk of the screen time amid his campaign for attorney general. But Cowsert told us he skipped the hearing because he said he was still recovering from a medical procedure last week and wasn’t cleared to travel yet.

His Republican opponent, state Sen. Brian Strickland, didn’t let it slide.

“Georgians need an Attorney General that will show up and provide leadership, not someone that will be the second act of the Fani Willis circus or that will sit in the stands and enjoy the show,” he said.

Georgia’s 14th

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Dalton City Councilmember Nicky Lama and former Paulding County Commissioner Brian Stover are the latest Republicans to jump into the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome.

A real estate developer, Lama highlighted his work on Dalton’s city council rolling back property taxes and pushing to make local government more accessible.

“Career politicians spend their time explaining why things can’t be done,” Lama said. “Entrepreneurs figure out how to get them done. Washington doesn’t need more talk — it needs leaders who know how to execute.”

Stover is the owner of a waste management company who said his campaign will be about his loyalty to President Donald Trump as the race’s true conservative.

“I’m running for Congress because the hardworking families of northwest Georgia deserve a representative who is focused on them,” Stover said in a release. “We need a leader who supports President Trump, shows up, listens, and gets the job done.”

Greene is stepping down in January after a high-profile feud with Trump. About a dozen well-known Republicans are either running or considering a bid.

The Republican field includes state Sen. Colton Moore, who used a high profile state Senate hearing on Wednesday to grab the spotlight. While Moore was not a member of the committee holding the hearing, he managed to snag a seat directly behind Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, in full view of the cameras.

Listen up

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Today on the “Politically Georgia” podcast we break down the explosive testimony from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis before a Georgia Senate committee.

You can listen and subscribe to Politically Georgia for free an Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Have a question or comment for the show? Email us at politicallygeorgia@ajc.com or give us a call at 770-810-5297 and you could be featured on a future episode.

MTG’s swan song

Credit: Kenny Holston/New York Times

Credit: Kenny Holston/New York Times

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will cast her final votes as a member of Congress today. But her biggest moment was arguably Wednesday, when the House passed her bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for youth.

If the bill were to become law — still a longshot given the Senate filibuster rules — puberty blockers for transgender youth would be illegal.

Greene pumped her fist and took selfies on the House floor as the vote came to a close. Three Democrats voted with Republicans in favor of the legislation while four Republicans voted “no” with the remaining Democrats. The final tally was 216-211.

Also on Wednesday, Greene provided another example of her split with President Donald Trump over concerns his administration is turning its back on the “America First” agenda.

She was among three Republicans who voted with Democrats in favor of a war powers resolution that would have limited Trump’s authority to attack Venezuela and carry out additional strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats without congressional authorization. The resolution narrowly failed 211-213.

Today in Washington

Credit: AP

Credit: AP

Happenings:

Shoutouts

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Before you go

Credit: Allison Joyce/AP

Credit: Allison Joyce/AP

The National Defense Authorization Act is on its way to President Donald Trump’s desk after the U.S. Senate passed it by a vote of 77-20. U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Georgia Democrats, supported the bill.

That’ll do it for us today. As always, you can send your best scoops, gossip and insider info to greg.bluestein@ajc.com, tia.mitchell@ajc.com, patricia.murphy@ajc.com and adam.beam@ajc.com.