# The Fani Willis affair **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 25, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067 "2024-02-25T17:16:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/1 "2024-02-25T17:16:08Z")
The trump team makes a fuss about her relationship with a coworker. What I don’t understand is why they aren’t compelled to explain what harm that could possibly do to trump. If the guy is unqualified, or distracted by the amour, that should be good for trump. ---
**Author:** ![Yosh99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ccd318/32.png) [@Yosh99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yosh99)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/2 "2024-02-25T18:03:25Z")
Why would the Trump team need a compelling legal reason to question the affair when any argument has the potential to delay the trial until after Trump gets re-elected? My question is how could Fani Willis have been so unprofessional and reckless to have an affair with a co-worker while preparing for the trial of the century? The incompetence is mind-blowing. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/3 "2024-02-25T18:31:31Z")
> [@Yosh99](#): > > Why would the Trump team need a compelling legal reason to question the affair when any argument has the potential to delay the trial Exactly. All they need is to cause delay and to cast aspersions in the minds of the followers. If the court rules that “_you got nuthin’ there_”, they still made it waste time on that and had the story about the involvement circulate. Team Trump is counting on the general public’s perception that the rules are that people involved with each other should never ever work on the same case, and people working on the same case should never ever become involved with each other, to push a narrative that she kept him on the case so he could keep collecting a high salary to spend on her. Meanwhile… > [@Yosh99](#): > > how could Fani Willis have been so unprofessional and reckless to have an affair with a co-worker while preparing for the trial of the century? The thing that gets some of us scratching our heads is that in so many of the rules touching upon this sort of thing especially in the legal side, we keep seeing that phrase _“or create the appearance of…”_ which is of course what Team Trump is grabbing on to here and something that Willis and Wade should have _expected_ because that’s how these defendants roll. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/4 "2024-02-25T18:35:02Z")
Is it necessarily unprofessional to have a romantic relationship with a co-worker? The romance itself is not a breach of law. Personally I think it is poor form to hire someone who you are related to or involved with, but it seems to be a very common practice, look no farther than the Trump extended family business involvement. Romantic partners collaborate professionally with some frequency. The risk is that your bias may lead you to hire someone not fully qualified. Is that alleged in this case? Unless there is evidence that a scheme was in place to funnel money used to hire him back to her for no actual work done I am not getting what the actual issue is. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/5 "2024-02-25T18:50:45Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Personally I think it is poor form to hire someone who you are related to or involved with, but it seems to be a very common practice, look no farther than the Trump extended family business involvement. That’s not even what happened, he was hired and then they became romantically involved afterwards. I know there was an effort to prove otherwise but that didn’t seem particularly credible. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/6 "2024-02-25T18:57:59Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Is it necessarily unprofessional to have a romantic relationship with a co-worker? Almost always, particularly if the person is subordinate to you. A lot of employers forbid it or have rules about mandatory disclosure. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/7 "2024-02-25T19:04:22Z")
And yet I know tons of married couples who met on the job, and nobody ever says there’s anything wrong with that. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/8 "2024-02-25T19:10:19Z")
Yeah me too, especially among two professionals couples. Yes there is an issue of appearance if nothing else if one is professionally in a position of power over the other. But I am not hearing allegations that she used any possible power over him to coerce him into the relationship. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/9 "2024-02-25T19:12:22Z")
One of them being a subordinate makes a huge difference, for reasons which should be fairly obvious\*. It doesn’t matter as much if they are equal co-workers, or even less if they are in different work groups or departments. Where I worked such a relationship was forbidden on penalty of immediate dismissal (for the superior position). If you wanted to date a subordinate or a superior in your “line of command” you had to tell the company and try to get a change to a different group or department first, before anything happened more than maybe a kiss. \*for example, preferential treatment (or the opposite for a bad breakup) of the subordinate, is very common in such cases. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/10 "2024-02-25T19:17:21Z")
It’s true that very few of those coworker marriages involved a subordinate. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/11 "2024-02-25T19:18:30Z")
A paragon professional would never consider something as potentially messy as getting involved with a co-worker, but most people are not like that. It is not actually unethical _provided_ there are no subordinate (or similar) or power relationships, hiring and firing and promotion, etc., and one still has to deal professionally (or depart) after it’s over. As for appearances, of course people talk, which is why my hypothetical “ideal professional” does not have a personal life as far as other people know. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/12 "2024-02-25T19:18:57Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > If you wanted to date a subordinate or a superior in your “line of command” This is poorly worded. It was considered as always the responsibility of the person in the superior position to work out the situation, and to control themselves in the meantime. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/13 "2024-02-25T19:21:18Z")
On the other hand, I remember reading years ago a counselor saying, “For most people, it’s easier to find a new job than a new romantic relationship, so if you’re seriously interested, you should go for it.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/14 "2024-02-25T19:25:12Z")
I met and married my present wife when we both worked for the same entity. Different departments/specialties and no boss/subordinate issues. I’ve had subordinate women indicate an interest in me in the past and I always maintained a professional relationship with them. It’s just too easy for it to go sideways. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/15 "2024-02-25T19:31:08Z")
> [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](#): > > The trump team makes a fuss about her relationship with a coworker. What I don’t understand is why they aren’t compelled to explain what harm that could possibly do to trump. If they’re coworkers, they’re presumably working on the same side of the case (or one of them isn’t involved at all), in which case, how is the conduct of the case affected at all? Could anyone on Trump’s team seriously be arguing that **all** parties in a case should be untainted by “moral turpitude” ? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/16 "2024-02-25T20:08:50Z")
> [@Yosh99](#): > > My question is how could Fani Willis have been so unprofessional and reckless to have an affair with a co-worker while preparing for the trial of the century? The incompetence is mind-blowing. QFT! I repeat a variation of this as I bang my head against the wall contemplating trump skating away from accountability. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/17 "2024-02-25T21:00:14Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > Could anyone on Trump’s team seriously be arguing that **all** parties in a case should be untainted by “moral turpitude” ? Of course – they’re Team Trump. Every nitpick is “serious” when it’s against their opponents, but “unfair and never seen” when it’s against him. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/18 "2024-02-25T21:22:22Z")
I agree, I don’t see the harm this creates for Trump or the other defendants, even if everything alleged is true. If Willis were credibly alleged to have padded her expense account while conducting this case, would defendants’ counsel have rushed to have her removed? If not, how is that different? Whether or not it was advisable to begin a relationship like this because of her position of authority, why wouldn’t that be a matter for Atlanta’s ethics oversight bodies, completely divorced from the trial(s)? “It’s the optics,” I keep hearing. The optics of having created what harm to the defendants? Maybe I’m dense. And I’ll add that I don’t care a whit for the faux outrage it creates. The MAGA crowd was going to froth at the mouth regardless. And if this bullshit gives the legislature cause for removing her, they’d have found something anyway. I think the judge ultimately rules in Willis’s favor. I think under any other circumstances he’d have dismissed the motion. It’s simply irrelevant. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/19 "2024-02-25T21:35:06Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I don’t see the harm this creates for Trump or the other defendants, even if everything alleged is true. I agree. So does my relative who’s an attorney. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067/20 "2024-02-26T10:51:24Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > I agree, I don’t see the harm this creates for Trump or the other defendants, even if everything alleged is true. Meh. They’re (the America-hating fuckstick’s team) _plausibly_ advocating for the people of the state of Georgia, to ensure that their tax dollars aren’t being wantonly misspent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-fani-willis-affair/998067.md?page=2)