Charlie Bailey maintained during a CNN interview that while Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hosted a fundraiser for him during his run for Georgia's lieutenant governor, as a Democrat, it is not proof Willis pursued criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for political reasons.
Bailey said he does not regret having his "friends" help him during the race.
"Charlie, last question for you. D.A. Willis has been labeled as a partisan and, therefore, this indictment as partisan, and in part because of a fundraiser that she held for your campaign for lieutenant governor. You were running against the current lieutenant governor, Burt Jones. Do you regret that fundraiser?" host Victor Blackwell asked.
"No, I don’t regret that fundraiser, no matter than I regret fundraisers that many of my friends helped me with. Bottom line, Victor, is Fani endorsed me and was supporting me before I even got in the lieutenant governor’s race, when I was running for attorney general, before Burt Jones was running for lieutenant governor. Her support for me, giving me money, hosting a fundraiser, doesn’t have anything to do with anything other than that we are friends and we worked together and she believed in me," Bailey replied.
"But, you know, the judge made the decision that judge made and that’s his call to make, but nothing about Fani’s case has changed. I mean, she has been following the evidence since she said she started this investigation and she brought the charges that she brought," he continued. "And I think, you know, when we sit here and we talk about, okay, Democrats can’t you know, indict Republicans and Republicans can’t indict Democrats, we’re really straining into — straying into authoritarian territory. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter your political party. The only thing that matters under the rule of law is what you did or did not do."
Trump was officially booked, with his mugshot taken, on Thursday. Willis is hoping to have the trial regarding his conduct after the 2020 election during the fall this year.