Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is not having the best week, with a Georgia judge denying her request to quash a subpoena from the Georgia state senate.
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And now, her biggest nemesis in the Fulton County RICO case against former president Donald Trump is back on the attack, one day ahead of an evidentiary hearing Willis is supposed to attend.
Ashleigh Merchant, a defense attorney for one of the former president’s co-defendants in Georgia, has filed a motion for contempt of court against Willis on the evening before Willis is supposed to attend a hearing related to an open records lawsuit Merchant filed against her.
The hearing, set for 9:30 a.m. (ET) on Thursday, is part of Merchant’s ongoing battle to fight back against a very broad RICO case against her client, as well as Trump and others.
Merchant has become something of a star in her high-profile fight against Willis. She spearheaded the efforts to get Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade tossed from the case over allegations of a romantic relationship. The hearings, which were streamed for the country to see, shed light on the morally and ethically questionable behavior of Willis and Wade, the latter of whom has since left the case.
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While the judge ultimately did not remove Willis from the case, it was an embarrassing episode in the legal battle against Trump.
Merchant is moving ahead in her war with Willis, launching an open records lawsuit against the Fulton County DA, and on Wednesday filing a motion to hold Willis in contempt of court if she doesn’t show – implying that Merchant either wants to force her to appear and answer questions or prove she’s unable to take charge in this case.