Fulton County braces for $15M taxpayer hit After Trump legal fee demand
Trump demands $6.2M in legal fees from Fulton County
The legal battle between President Donald Trump and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has entered a costly new chapter. Following the dismissal of the 2020 election interference case just last month, the President is now moving to make the county pay.
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County is once again in the national spotlight. This time, President Donald Trump has demanded reimbursement of the $6.2 million he spent fighting the 2020 election case against him.
What they're saying:
His lead Georgia attorney, Steve Sadow, says he empathizes with Fulton County taxpayers but believes Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is to blame because he believes she pursued the case to advance her career and was ultimately disqualified from the case.
"Of course, I feel for them. Unfortunately, for them as well, they made the choice for Fani Willis. Fani Willis brought this politically motivated. Ill-fated Case. She got disqualified; she lost. And the law says, now her office has to pay for her conduct," veteran attorney Steve Sadow exclaimed.
SEE ALSO: Trump demands $6.2M from Fulton County for legal fees after case dismissal
The other side:
Fulton County Chairman Robb Pitts sees the case differently. He believes President Trump and the 2020 election deniers are to blame because they would not accept a fair and transparent election in 2020 when Democrat Joe Biden won Georgia.
"It all goes back to the president and the 2020 election deniers back in 2020. They were fair, open, transparent elections, but they cannot accept it. Fast-forward to where we are now, in the courts. They won. Apparently, President Trump was the first to submit his bill, $6.2 million-plus, I believe. My back of the back-of-the-envelope calculation is this will cost the taxpayers of Fulton County between $10 and $15 million," the chairman expressed.
Pitts says the money will have to come out of the general fund.
What's next:
DA Willis has filed a motion to intervene, which would allow her to argue the issues of legal fees, since she was disqualified from the legal case.
The Source: Steve Sadow, President Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, and Robb Pitts, the Fulton County chairman offered quotes for this article. Previous FOX 5 Atlanta reporting was also used.