Fulton County DA Fani Willis Disqualified On Trump Case Over Appearance Of Conflict, Sneaky Links With Prosecutor
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been disqualified from prosecuting former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants in Georgia’s high-profile election interference case. The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled on Dec. 19 that Willis created an “appearance of impropriety” due to her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired for the case, Politico reported.
The court’s 2-1 decision stemmed from complaints filed by Trump’s co-defendants, who argued that Willis’ relationship with Wade compromised her ability to impartially oversee the case. Judge Trenton Brown stated that the situation presented a rare instance in which disqualification was necessary to maintain public confidence in the judicial process.
“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the court said, referencing an earlier court ruling that permitted Willis to stay on the case.
Benjamin Land, one of the three judges, dissented.
“For at least the last 43 years, our appellate courts have held that an appearance of impropriety, without an actual conflict of interest or actual impropriety, provides no basis for the reversal of a trial court’s denial of a motion to disqualify,” Land wrote.
This final ruling puts an end to Willis’ involvement; the case to be reassigned to another prosecutor. Under Georgia law, when a district attorney is disqualified, their office is also barred from continuing the prosecution. The case will now be referred to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, which must appoint a new prosecutor, NBC reported.
Willis and Wade admitted to their relationship but claimed it began after Wade’s appointment.
Trump’s legal team was happy about the judge’s decision. However, the appellate court declined to dismiss the case entirely, which means Trump and 15 remaining co-defendants must still face charges, including racketeering and conspiracy.
