Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis reports racist threats over Trump case

A Georgia prosecutor has reported receiving racist threats and abuse as she decides whether to charge former President Donald Trump.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been investigating Mr Trump for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 US election.

On Monday, Mr Trump’s legal team unsuccessfully requested she be disqualified from the case.

A grand jury vote is expected soon on possible criminal charges.

In a letter seen by CBS, the BBC’s US partner, Ms Willis warned local officials to “stay alert” this month as the decision looms.

Ms Willis, a Democrat, cited a recent email in which she was subject to racist and sexist language and told she will fail.

She said that the letter was “pretty typical” of correspondence she has received.

There have also been threatening phone calls to her office that were similar in nature, she said.

“I took an oath. No one other than the citizens of Fulton County put me in this seat,” Ms Willis said in the letter. “I have every intention of doing my job. Please make decisions that keep your staff safe”.

Local media has reported that additional security measures have been implemented at the Fulton County courthouse ahead of a possible decision from the grand jury.

In a separate letter in May, Ms Willis warned that any charges “may provoke a significant public reaction”.

The Georgia probe, in part, focuses on a phone call between Mr Trump and Georgia’s chief election officer in which the former president suggested that officials could “find” over 11,000 votes to tip the election in his favour.

The potential charges reportedly include solicitation of election fraud, making false statements to government officials and racketeering.

Ms Wallis has previously said that any potential charges would likely be filed in August.

On Monday, a Georgia judge rejected a bid by Mr Trump’s lawyers to remove Ms Wallis from the case and to quash a report from the grand jury – one of two sworn in earlier this month – that examines his role in the aftermath of the 2020 election.

Mr Trump, for his part, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

He has also characterised the phone call at the heart of the case as being “perfect” and accused Ms Wallis of carrying out a “political witch hunt”.

The Georgia case is one of a number of legal issues currently facing Mr Trump.

In the past four months, he has been indicted twice – once in New York for alleged financial crimes and once in federal court on charges he mishandled sensitive and classified documents.