ATLANTA (AP) 鈥� President is seeking more than $6.2 million in attorney fees and costs from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office after the brought against him and others was recently dismissed.
Georgia state legislators that says that if a prosecutor is disqualified from a case because of their own improper conduct and the case is then dismissed, anyone charged in that case is entitled to request 鈥渁ll reasonable attorney’s fees and costs incurred鈥� in their defense. The judge overseeing the case then is responsible for reviewing the request and awarding the fees and costs, which are to be paid from the budget of the prosecutor’s office.
Trump is seeking a total of $6,261,613.08 in a motion filed Wednesday.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office were removed from the case over an 鈥渁ppearance of impropriety鈥� created by a she had with the special prosecutor she chose to lead the case. The prosecutor who took over the case late last year .
Willis obtained an indictment against Trump and 18 others from a grand jury in August 2023, using the to accuse them of participating in a wide-ranging scheme to illegally try to overturn Trump鈥檚 narrow 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia. The alleged scheme included Trump鈥檚 urging him to help find enough votes to beat Biden. Four people in the months following the indictment.
鈥淚n accordance with Georgia law, President Trump has moved the Court to award reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred in his defense of the politically motivated, and now rightfully dismissed, case brought by disqualified DA Fani Willis,鈥� Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in Georgia, said in a statement.
A spokesperson for Willis declined to comment on Trump’s filing. But last month, when another person charged in the case made a similar filing, her office filed a motion asking to be heard on the matter of any claims for fees and costs filed in the case.
Willis’ motion raises concerns about the law passed last year that allowed Trump and others to seek to have their expenses paid.
鈥淭he statute raises grave separation-of-powers concerns by purporting to impose financial liability on a constitutional officer, twice elected by the citizens of Fulton County, for the lawful exercise of her core duties under the Georgia Constitution,” her motion says.
Her motion also says the law violates due process by 鈥渞etroactively imposing a novel fee-shifting scheme” that creates a substantial burden for the county’s taxpayers without any recourse.
Her motion contends that the prosecution 鈥渨as neither arbitrary nor political鈥� and was based on an 鈥渆xhaustive investigation spanning years.” It notes that a special grand jury that reviewed evidence and testimony recommended charges and a regular grand jury issued the indictment.
Defense attorneys sought Willis鈥� removal after one of them revealed in January 2024 that Willis had engaged in a romantic relationship with she had hired to lead the case. The defense attorneys said the relationship created a conflict of interest, alleging that Willis personally profited from the case when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took.
During the following month, Willis and Wade both testified about the intimate details of their personal relationship. They maintained that their romance didn鈥檛 begin until after Wade was hired and said that they split the costs for vacations and other outings.
The trial judge, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, rebuked Willis, saying in an order in March 2024 that her actions showed a 鈥渢remendous lapse in judgment.鈥� But he said he did not find a conflict of interest that would disqualify Willis. He that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned, hours later.
Defense attorneys appealed that ruling, and the Georgia Court of Appeals in December, citing an 鈥渁ppearance of impropriety.鈥� The Georgia Supreme Court in September .
It then fell to the nonpartisan Prosecuting Attorneys鈥� Council to find a new prosecutor. The agency’s , Pete Skandalakis, ended up himself and less than two weeks later.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
