Politics
Trump calls 'badly tainted' Fulton County case 'a scam' after DA Fani Willis' courtroom drama
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump says the charges against him Fulton County, Georgia, “have to be dropped,” telling Fox News Digital that the case is a “scam” while District Attorney Fani Willis testified publicly about an allegedly “improper” affair she had with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Willis took the stand in Georgia Thursday to defend her relationship with Wade, whom she hired in 2021 to help prosecute the former president in a sweeping racketeering case related to the 2020 election.
Trump co-defendant Michael Roman alleged in court filings last month that Willis should be disqualified from the case, claiming that she financially benefited from hiring Wade because of their personal relationship.
Both Willis and Wade confirmed their relationship under oath in court Thursday, but testified that the romantic involvement began in early 2022 after Wade’s contract in the Trump case began.
JUDGE WARNS FANI WILLIS OVER OUTBURSTS IN HEATED TESTIMONY
Fani Willis and Donald Trump (Getty Images)
“There is no case here,” Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview during Willis’ testimony. “It is so badly tainted. There is no case here. There was a perfect phone call. It was perfect. But by going after Trump, she’s able to get her boyfriend more money than they ever dreamed possible.”
Trump blasted Willis as “disgraced.”
“The case will have to be dropped,” he told Fox News Digital. “There’s no way they can have a case. The whole thing was a scam to get money for the boyfriend.”
Trump said the case is another example of “election interference,” pointing to Wade’s trips to the White House.
Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade. (Getty Images)
“This all comes out of the White House. Don’t forget Wade, the lover, he spent hours at the White House,” Trump said. “This is all a weaponization of politics.”
He added: “It’s all about trying to stop somebody who is killing them in the polls, and it is a sad thing to watch for our country.”
Trump said charges brought against him are just “a weaponization of law enforcement.”
“And you’re seeing it now because they got caught,” he said. “The two lovers got caught.”
But Trump said the Fulton County case, like the others in separate jurisdictions, are “all the same.”
“This is a total breakdown of law and order and a total breakdown of justice — it is weaponization at a level that nobody’s seen before. Nobody’s seen anything like this,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
Willis charged Trump out of her investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump was charged with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.
He pleaded not guilty to all counts. Fulton County prosecutors have proposed that the trial begin on Aug. 5.
Trump spent Thursday morning in a New York City courtroom for a hearing related to charges related to alleged hush-money payments brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Former President Donald Trump appears in a New York City courtroom in Manhattan, New York on Thursday, February 15, 2024. Trump’s request to have civil charges stemming from District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into alleged hush-money payments was denied. (Jane Rosenberg)
New York Judge Juan Merchan denied Trump’s request to dismiss the case altogether, and scheduled the trial to begin on March 25 in New York City.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree.
Meanwhile, on Friday, New York Judge Arthur Engoron is expected to hand down his ruling in the trial stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit against Trump, his family and his business empire.
GEORGIA WHISTLEBLOWERS LINING UP TO TESTIFY AGAINST FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS, STATE LAWMAKER SAYS
James sued Trump, his family and his business empire, claiming he inflated his financial statements and deceived banks. Trump has denied any wrongdoing. The former president has repeatedly said his assets were actually undervalued. Trump has repeatedly said his financial statements had disclaimers, requesting that the numbers be evaluated by the banks.
New York Attorney General Letitia James sits in the courtroom during the fraud trial of former President Donald Trump and his children on Friday, Nov. 03. (Dave Sanders-Pool/Getty Images)
“Letitia James is worse than this one,” Trump said, referring to Willis. “Letitia James campaigned on ‘I will get Trump’—that’s a bigger scam than this one.”
“We’re definitely gonna sue him, we’re gonna be a real pain in the a–,” James once told a supporter on video.
James also once said Trump was an “existential threat,” and said “the No. 1 issue in this country is defeating Donald Trump.”
Justice Arthur Engoron presides over the civil fraud trial of the Trump Organization at the New York State Supreme Court in New York City on November 13, 2023. (ERIN SCHAFF/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“Nothing else matters,” James said.
Trump told Fox News Digital that the judge, Engoron, will “do whatever Letitia James wants.”
“This has nothing to do with the law,” Trump said. “It has to do with politics.”
Trump also pointed to the ruling last month in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case, which requires him to pay Carroll more than $83 million in damages after he denied allegations he raped her in the 1990s. Trump was never charged with rape.
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 26: E. Jean Carroll (C) and attorney Roberta Kaplan (R) is seen leaving Manhattan Federal Court on January 26, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by GWR/Star Max/GC Images) (GWR/Star Max/GC Images)
“A woman that I have absolutely no idea—I have never heard of her— and she is getting $90 million?” Trump said. “We were abused in that case by a bully judge— a Democrat. And that’s another one— this is all the same stuff.”
Trump then pointed to “Deranged” Special Counsel Jack Smith, who charged him in two separate cases, in two separate jurisdictions—one related to 2020 election and Jan. 6 in Washington D.C., and another related to his retention of classified records in Florida.
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 01: Special Counsel Jack Smith arrives to give remarks on a recently unsealed indictment including four felony counts against former U.S. President Donald Trump on August 1, 2023 in Washington, DC. Trump was indicted on four felony counts for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
“It’s all corrupt stuff. It is all politics–using the law to try to stop a party that is substantially ahead, and a particular person that’s substantially ahead in every poll—including against Biden,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “This is all meant to stop me.”
new video loaded: Steve Hilton Holds Slim Early Lead in California Governor’s Race
transcript
transcript
Steve Hilton Holds Slim Early Lead in California Governor’s Race
Steve Hilton, a Republican and former Fox News host, held a narrow lead in early votes over two Democratic opponents in California’s nonpartisan primary for governor. The top two candidates will advance to the general election in November.
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“Change is coming to California, and it’s long overdue. I want to just say something from my heart to every single person who’s voted for me. We’re not — We’re not there yet, but it’s looking good.” [cheers] “Tonight, the people of the great state of California, in the greatest nation on earth, have spoken. [cheers] Loudly and proudly. [cheers] And while I take nothing for granted, there are lots of ballots left to be counted, it appears that we are on track to advance to November.” [cheers] “It might take some time to figure out where this is going. We’re going to wait until every ballot is counted. We’re going to give democracy a time to work, and we know we finished really strong.” [cheers]
By Axel Boada
June 3, 2026
Politics
Spencer Pratt surges to runoff in LA mayor’s race after angry voters send message to Karen Bass
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Reality television personality Spencer Pratt appears on track to clear a key hurdle in Los Angeles’ mayoral race as he seeks to unseat incumbent Mayor Karen Bass in November.
Bass, who has led the city since 2022 amid a turbulent stretch rocked by her response to wildfires, advanced to a runoff after failing to secure a majority of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election. With no candidate surpassing the 50% threshold, the top two finishers will face off in a November runoff.
The anticipated runoff is a symbolic blow to Bass, who was endorsed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., and former Vice President Kamala Harris and has spent decades serving California in a series of elected Democratic offices.
Pratt, a first-time candidate known for the MTV reality show “The Hills,” was running in second place as of Wednesday morning.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attends the Women for Bass Phone bank event in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles on June 1, 2026. (Louise Barnsley/Splash for Fox News Digital)
REALITY TV STAR SPENCER PRATT TESTS LA VOTERS’ APPETITE FOR POLITICAL OUTSIDER
“Obviously, God wanted five more months of me exposing the failures of our mayor,” Pratt gloated to reporters as the returns came in Tuesday evening.
Pratt has relentlessly hammered Bass on issues that have long plagued the city, including fire recovery, street homelessness and crime. The insurgent candidate holds Bass personally responsible for devastating wildfires that destroyed more than 18,000 structures in the city, including his Pacific Palisades home.
Pratt’s surge appears to have shut out Los Angeles City Council member Nithya Raman, a former ally of Bass who challenged the incumbent from the left and was once viewed as a threat to her bid for a second term. Raman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has argued for steering the city in a more progressive direction.
Raman has not yet conceded despite running well behind Bass and Pratt as of Wednesday morning.
Pratt, a registered Republican, faces an uphill battle to defeat Bass in November if he advances to the runoff election.
Less than 20% of voters in the heavily Democratic city identify with the GOP, though Los Angeles’ mayoral contest is officially nonpartisan.
Media personality and independent candidate Spencer Pratt, left, pictured alongside LA mayor Karen Bass, right. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
KAREN BASS GRILLED OVER BROKEN HOMELESSNESS PROMISE, BLAMES BUREAUCRACY FOR SLOWED PROGRESS
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., who represents a San Diego-anchored seat, told Fox News Digital that Pratt has won a following in the mayoral contest due to widespread voter discontent with Bass’ leadership.
“He’s catching fire among ardent historic Democrat voters because Karen Bass has been so ineffective,” Issa said in an interview. “And every time she opens her mouth, she’s talking about more of the same to people who have seen their streets, both crime-ridden and in fact … ineffectively managed.”
Bass, conversely, argues that her leadership is leading Los Angeles in the right direction.
“Los Angeles is at a turning point. After decades of rising homelessness, under-built housing and a shrinking police force, it’s Mayor Karen Bass who finally stepped up to change how City Hall works,” Bass’s website reads.
Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman appears likely to finish in third place, keeping her out of the November runoff. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
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“Homelessness is down, more housing is being built, and the LAPD is hiring new officers,” it also claims.
Fox News Digital’s Leo Briceno contributed reporting.
Los Angeles County’s half-cent sales tax to fund healthcare services was trailing Tuesday, with early returns showing a majority of voters rejecting the measure.
The tax — a half-penny of every dollar spent in the county — is meant to prop up local hospitals and clinics that are hemorrhaging funding after recent federal cuts.
The sales tax, which needs a simple majority to pass, would take effect Oct. 1 and last five years. Officials say it would pull in $1 billion annually to help plug the budget holes hitting local hospitals and clinics.
L.A. County health officials anticipate the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Trump last summer, will slash more than $2 billion from the county’s health services budget within the next three years. Due to eligibility changes, the county will no longer be able to get reimbursements for many Californians who have lost Medi-Cal.
The measure was championed by a coalition of healthcare advocates called Restore Healthcare for Angelenos who warned that mass layoffs and emergency room closures could be imminent if new funding didn’t come fast. The Department of Public Health recently closed seven clinics — a grim sign, supporters said, of service cuts to come.
Voters haven’t rejected a sales tax hike since 2012, when a transportation measure fell just short with 66.1% support. It needed 66.7% to pass.
A majority of county supervisors had supported the new tax proposal, voting 4 to 1 this February to put it on the ballot. But the measure faced significant opposition from local cities, with opponents arguing the sales tax hike would unfairly burden the poorest county residents and encourage people to spend their dollars across the county line.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger, the board’s lone opponent of the tax, said she was concerned it was a “general” tax, meaning the money wouldn’t be earmarked for healthcare costs. Instead, she argued, politicians would have final say over how the money gets spent.
The supervisors have created a plan for spending the tax money, with the largest chunk of the money meant to cover the costs for patients without insurance. The measure also asked voters to sign off on a nine-member oversight committee.
The county currently has a base sales tax rate of 9.75%, and cities impose local taxes on top of that.
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