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For almost a month now, all eyes have been on Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis and the alleged corruption and conflicts of interest that are plaguing her office. What many people who don’t live in metro Atlanta aren’t aware of is that Willis ran her campaign for DA as an anti-corruption candidate.
In 2020, Willis ran against Paul Howard, who won his first election in 1996. Howard was the first black man elected district attorney in Georgia, but scandal plagued his last term in office.
“On April 15, 2020, the Georgia Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission filed a complaint against Howard alleging he violated public disclosure laws,” Ballotpedia explains. “The commission alleged that Howard used his two nonprofits to funnel $195,000 of Atlanta city funds to his personal bank account without disclosing his role as CEO. In the months following, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) opened additional investigations into the matter.”
Howard maintained that he didn’t break any laws, but he later admitted to ethics violations and paid a $6,500 fine. He also faced sexual harassment allegations, but a jury exonerated him last year.
As the clouds of scandal loomed over Howard’s sixth term in office, Willis presented herself as the ethical alternative.
