Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has received a significant boost in her effort to prosecute Donald Trump for election interference.
According to Newsweek, experts believe Trump’s recent hush money convictions could provide valuable insights for Willis as she pursues her case.
On Thursday, Trump was found guilty on all 34 charges of falsifying business records related to $130,000 in payments to former adult film star Stormy Daniels.
These payments were intended to keep an alleged affair secret ahead of the 2016 election. Trump denies any wrongdoing and claims the case is politically motivated.
Although the hush money trial has concluded, Trump still faces three other criminal cases. Among these is a case where he and 18 others are accused of attempting to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia, a state he lost by approximately 12,000 votes.
Legal experts suggest that Willis could benefit from the strategies used in the hush money case.
Matthew Mangino, a former district attorney in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, said while the conviction may not have a direct impact on the Georgia case, it provides a roadmap for prosecuting a former president.
John Acevedo, a visiting associate professor at the Emory University School of Law, emphasized the psychological impact of the verdict.
He explained that the conviction breaks the aura of invincibility surrounding Trump, potentially influencing jurors and boosting Willis’s confidence.
“This doesn’t prove Mr. Trump guilty of anything in Georgia, but it certainly removes his aura of invincibility and paves the way for the prosecution to commence here in Fulton County,” Acevedo told Atlanta First News.
Willis has faced her own set of challenges, including criticism over her relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor in the Trump case who resigned following revelations about their involvement.
Additionally, Georgia Republican lawmakers are investigating allegations of misconduct against Willis, including potential conflicts of interest and misuse of public funds, which have delayed the trial.
Michael Berry, executive director of the Center for Litigation at the America First Policy Institute, noted that the hush money verdict will be used by prosecutors in Georgia as a talking point.
Despite expectations that Trump will appeal, the sentencing phase’s timeline remains unclear.
Atlanta-based attorney Josh Schiffer pointed out that the hush money trial offers valuable lessons for Willis’s team. “
With any case of this notoriety, you’re going to have learning opportunities to see how this case was presented,” he said. “Willis’ office will learn a lot about how you put a former president on trial.”
As Willis prepares for the upcoming trial, these insights and the broken invincibility perception of Trump may prove crucial in her prosecution efforts.
