Georgia Court Removes Fani Willis from Trump Case Over Relationship with Special Prosecutor

The Georgia Court of Appeals decided to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case involving President-elect Donald Trump and 18 others, due to her undisclosed relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. The court agreed with the trial court’s concern that this relationship created an appearance of impropriety, and decided it was necessary to remove Willis to restore public confidence in the case.

Willis hired Wade in November 2021 to lead the prosecution against Trump. In January 2024, Trump’s co-defendant Michael Roman, a former White House aide, revealed that Willis and Wade had a past relationship, which he argued could cause a conflict of interest. Willis and Wade confirmed their relationship in February 2024, though they said it started only after Wade was hired.

Defense attorneys claimed Wade paid between $12,000 and $15,000 for trips the two took together from October 2022 to May 2023. However, Willis said she reimbursed Wade for the expenses, and the trial court decided that these payments didn’t affect the prosecution of Trump.

The trial court initially decided not to remove Willis, acknowledging an appearance of impropriety but finding no actual conflict of interest. The court then gave Willis the choice to step aside or have Wade withdraw.

The appeals court didn’t rule on a conflict of interest but said that removing Willis was the only way to restore public trust. They noted that the appearance of impropriety was enough to disqualify her, even without a proven conflict of interest.

In a dissenting opinion, Judge Benjamin A. Land argued that the court didn’t have the authority to remove Willis, as there was no proof of a conflict of interest, and the trial court had already ruled on the matter.

Trump and his co-defendants are facing charges related to an alleged scheme to interfere with the 2020 US presidential election in Georgia. Last month, federal special prosecutor Jack Smith dropped his charges against Trump after he won this year’s presidential election.

 

Leave a Comment