'Empty podium is doing better than her': Fani Willis mocked for 'declining' to attend primary debate with Democratic challenger

WASHINGTON, DC: Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, did not attend the county's first Democratic Party debate on Sunday, April 28, making her opponent speak in front of an empty platform, according to The Hill.

Notably, Christian Wise Smith, an author and attorney, was Willis' Democratic opponent in the debate, which was hosted by the Atlanta Press Club. Smith was the only person on stage.

Fani Willis skips primary debate with Democratic challenger

Willis "declined to participate in the debate and is represented by an empty podium", the debate moderator stated following a quick introduction regarding Smith.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Willis co-hosted Atlanta's annual 'Self Care Fair' in observance of Crime Victims' Rights Week. Willis is currently pursuing a comprehensive case alleging election interference against former President Trump and his allies.

Notably, Willis is "not doing interviews that include discussion of the substance of high-profile cases the office is prosecuting, particularly the election interference prosecution and the ongoing trial of alleged YSL defendants", her reelection campaign said earlier in April to Atlanta News First, referring to the rapper Young Thug and his associates' ongoing trial.

The moderator allowed Smith to pose a question to Willis and provide a counterargument to his evaluation of her answers during what was meant to be the candidates' Q&A session.

Smith said, "My question for you is: Where are you? You know I’m here because I care about the citizens and the families of Fulton County. But it’s my understanding that you may have attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. You might be fundraising across the country, but what about us here in Fulton County? What are you doing to address the issues in the jail? What are you doing to address the backlog? Where are you, Ms Willis?"

When asked whether he had a counterargument, Smith stated that "her absence is all the response that we need", but he could not speak for Willis.

Moreover, he also attacked the scandal that arose from Willis' amorous past with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor who left the Trump case in March 2024 due to a court decision.

In Willis' racketeering lawsuit against Donald Trump, Judge Scott McAfee determined in March that there appeared to be a conflict of interest between Wade and Willis. If Wade left, Willis was free to stay on the case. McAfee's decision to permit her to do so has been challenged by Trump and eight of his co-defendants.

Smith said when asked if he would carry on pursuing Willis' lawsuit against Trump and using the state's racketeering legislation, "That issue is important to us here in Fulton County and a lot of people across the country."

He added, "We all heard the call, we all saw what happened on Jan 6, 2021, but you have to do things differently. When you pay one attorney nearly a million dollars to handle one case, that leaves the rest of us vulnerable. That hurts everyone else in Fulton County."

Notably, Smith lost his race against Willis four years ago. On May 21, the two will compete in a primary. The only Republican to meet the requirements by the deadline was Courtney Kramer, who claimed to have worked as an intern for three months in 2018 in the White House Counsel's office under Trump, according to The Associated Press.

Internet trolls Fani Willis for skipping primary debate with Democratic challenger

People online slammed Fani Willis as she missed the county's first Democratic Party debate, making her opponent speak in front of an empty platform.

A user wrote on X, "Fani is going to jail" while one added, "LOL.. Fani is unbelievable!! Hope she loses!!!!"

A person also wrote, "The empty podium is doing better than she will ever do."

A person also stated, "As a Georgia Resident and Voter ... I'm pissed that she's even allowed a law license at this point !" whereas one mentioned, "I think the empty podium was probably smarter."

A user also stated, "How absolutely insulting. When is she up for reelection? Hopefully Fulton county will do better."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.