Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’s prosecution of Donald Trump will be allowed to move forward in Georgia — if she drops her ex from the prosecution team.
The background: The high-stakes prosecution of Trump and several of his associates for trying to steal Georgia’s 2020 election has been sidetracked in recent months. Defendants had unearthed that Willis and attorney Nathan Wade had a romantic relationship, arguing this was an improper conflict of interest that should get Willis disqualified from the prosecution. A high-profile hearing was held last month in which Willis and Wade testified, denying any impropriety.
What’s new: Now, a ruling from Judge Scott McAfee Friday has rejected the attempt to disqualify Willis. Trump and his allies did not actually prove she had a conflict of interest, McAfee found.
But McAfee did have some harsh words for Willis, calling her relationship with Wade a “tremendous lapse in judgment,” her testimony last month “unprofessional,” and opining that “an odor of mendacity remains” about the situation. As a result, he said, either Wade or Willis has to leave the team.
What’s next: If Wade steps down, the prosecution could get moving again — with the catch that Trump and his co-defendants could appeal and try to get a higher Georgia court to disqualify Willis.
Regardless of the appeal, this was always the least likely of the four Trump prosecutions to go to trial before the election, due to its complexity. And though there is no trial date just yet, the recent drama has made it even more likely to slip into 2025.
The judge concluded no wrongdoing from Willis was proven — but he said there was an appearance of impropriety that must be addressed
All the wrangling around this topic really boiled down to two factual disputes.
1) Timing: Did Willis and Wade start dating only after she hired him for the Trump case (as they claimed under oath), or was it before (which would mean she hired her…
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