Man pleads guilty to threatening Fulton County DA Fani Willis.Ray Hanson, a 58-year-old Alabama resident, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges stemming from threats he made against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Sheriff Patrick Labat. These threats were linked to their involvement in prosecuting and processing former President Donald Trump’s election interference charges in Georgia. Both Willis and Labat are Black, and the threats against them underscore a disturbing trend where Trump supporters threaten violence against government officials perceived as adversaries to Trump, often amplified by conservative media portrayals.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution detailed the specifics of Hanson’s threats. On August 6, just a week before Trump’s indictment, Hanson called the Fulton County Government customer service line and left a threatening voicemail for Sheriff Labat. The voicemail lasted about a minute and a half, during which Hanson issued a stark warning: “If you think you gonna take a mugshot of my President Donald Trump and it’s gonna be ok, you gonna find out that after you take that mugshot, some bad (expletive)’s probably gonna happen to you.”
Hanson didn’t stop there. Just five minutes later, he called again and left a voicemail for DA Willis. In this message, Hanson conveyed a chilling threat, stating, “I would be very afraid if I were you because you can’t be around people all the time that are going to protect you; there’s going to be moments when you’re going to be vulnerable.”
He further warned, “When you charge Trump on that fourth indictment, anytime you’re alone, be looking over your shoulder.”
Despite the gravity of these threats, Hanson is expected to receive a lenient sentence. After pleading guilty, he claimed he was “not a violent person” and described his actions as a “stupid phone call.” The U.S. Attorney assigned to the case has indicated that they are seeking leniency due to Hanson’s admission of guilt.
The case of Ray Hanson is not an isolated incident. DA Fani Willis has spoken publicly about the numerous death threats she has received, many of them laced with racist overtones, since she began pursuing charges against Trump for allegedly pressuring Georgia officials to overturn the state’s 2020 election results in his favor. This pattern of threats is part of a broader phenomenon where Black officials and public figures are targeted with violent and racist threats.
Clarissa-Jan Lim, a journalist, recently reported on a similar case involving a Texas man who sent racist death threats to California Representative Maxine Waters, a prominent Black congresswoman often portrayed as a major adversary to Trump. Lim’s report also cited a 2022 study that found women of color are more likely than their white counterparts to face violent threats online.
This troubling trend has prompted strong reactions from various organizations. The National Black Prosecutors Association, for instance, condemned Trump’s claim that it is “racist” for Black prosecutors like Willis to hold him accountable. The association highlighted that such rhetoric from Trump and other Republicans fosters an environment of contempt and mistrust towards Black officials, inevitably leading to violent threats.
