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The inquiry would mean Trump wouldn’t be able to use his federal pardon power.
By Olivia Jakiel — Written on Jan 18, 2021
On Jan 20, 2021 , Donald Trump left the White House — the place he’s called home for the last four years — and President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in as the new leaders of the United States of America.
In the beginning of Jan. 2021, Trump’s phone call with Georgia state officials made the rounds online and in the call, he falsely accused Fulton County of “burning” and “shredding” ballots as he pressured Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger “to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,” and overturn the state’s election results.
Now, that infamous phone call may be biting him in the you-know-where, because Fulton County’s new District Attorney, Fani Willis, is reportedly ready to open a federal investigation into Trump and his “possible election interference.”
Who is Fani Willis?
Here’s what to know about the District Attorney who is inching closer to opening an investigation into Donald Trump for possible election interference.
Her education is impressive.
Fani Willis has countless years of education under her belt. She graduated cum laude from Howard University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government.
After getting her Bachelor’s degree, she attended Emory Law School and received her Doctor of Law (J.D.) degree after graduating in 1996.
She’s held many positions in the justice system.
Fani Willis has served as a lawyer for over 24 years. In Oct. 2001, she became the Executive Assistant District Attorney and held that position for nearly a decade before becoming Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney.
She currently serves as the Managing Attorney at the Law Offices of Fani T. Willis in Atlanta, Georgia.
She's prosecuted hundreds of cases.
According to her website, Willis is an experienced prosectuor who has prosecuted hundreds of cases:
"Fani is a career trial lawyer with deep and broad prosecutorial experience. She has led over 100 jury trials and has prosecuted hundreds of murder cases. She has prosecuted many other serious crimes, including crimes against women and children."
Fani Willis made history as Fulton County’s first woman District Attorney.
Willis made history as the Fulton County’s first woman District Attorney after beating out Fulton County’s longtime sitting DA, Paul Howard. Howard previously held the position for 20 years.
“From being a very, very little girl until I sit here today, there was never anything I’ve ever wanted to do but practice law or sit on the bench,” she said.
“I always knew that I wanted to be the district attorney, but in my mind, I would never run against the sitting DA… but the cries got louder and louder and louder… and I just took the leap of faith and did what God called me to do,” she added.
She will likely open a criminal investigation into Donald Trump and possible election interference in Georgia.
It’s no secret that the 45th president has been touting election fraud lies since before the election even took place.
And according to a Dec. 2020 survey, it was found that 70% of Republicans believed that the election wasn’t “free and fair,” and of that 70%, a whopping 78% of Republicans believed that mail-in ballots “led to widespread voter fraud.”
While Trump has been claiming “voter fraud” and relentlessly perpetuating election lies during the last few months of his presidency, it’s been proven time and time again that there’s been no evidence of any widespread election fraud during the 2020 election.
If Willis does move forward with the inquiry — which is looking more promising as the days go by — then Donald Trump will be unable to use his presidential pardon power, as he cannot pardon himself for crimes committed under state law.
And while it was previously reported that Trump was considering pardoning himself before leaving office, which is something he also tweeted about back in 2018, it’s important to note that self-pardoning is a power that no president in American history has ever wielded.
President Trump pardoning himself "would violate the principle that no one can be the judge in their own case," Michigan State University law professor Brian Kalt explained.
And while Trump did pardon many people before he left office, he surprisingly didn't pardon himself.
It is also being reported that Willis is considering hiring an outside counsel to oversee the investigation.
Social media users everywhere are looking forward to the possible investigation, and some Twitter users have been making excellent points about the possibility of Trump’s fate being in the hands of Willis.
“Wait. If Fani Willis (Fulton County DA) files charges against Donald for the Jan phone call to @GaSecofState, could what I’m thinking REALLY happen? Would Donald be taken to Fulton County Jail?” one social media user questioned.
According to an explainer published on Jan. 16, Trump may have violated Georgia law when he pressured state officials to “find votes” for him:
“A Georgia law against ‘criminal solicitation to commit election fraud’ makes it illegal for a person to intentionally solicit, request, command or otherwise attempt to cause another person to engage in election fraud.
A separate federal law makes it illegal to attempt to ‘deprive or defraud’ people of a ‘fair and impartially conducted election process.’”
Like other Black women who have played an integral role in the 2020 election, Willis’s investigation into Trump could change the political game as we know it.
It’s no secret that Black women and women of color, from high-profile politicians like Vice President Kamala Harris and Stacey Abrams to all of the amazing citizens who voted, canvassed, organized, and did everything they could to ensure voter turnout for the most important election in our country’s history, played an integral role in voting Trump out of office.
The fact that Willis is reportedly moving forward with the investigation into Trump’s possible election interference is yet another victory for Black women, people of color, and to put it frankly, the democracy of America, which has been threatened while under the leadership of the current president.
For a while now, politicians, global leaders, and people from all over the world have been calling for an investigation into Trump and his seemingly never-ending spree of crimes against democracy, the American people, and more.
Now, only time will tell whether Trump will be held responsible for his alleged crimes and involvement in trying to overturn the election results.
Olivia Jakiel is an editor and writer who covers celebrity and entertainment news. Follow her on Instagram and keep up with her zingers on Twitter.