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☆ Trump asks appeals court to review ruling allowing Fani Willis to remain on Georgia election case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Former President Donald Trump and other defendants accused of illegally trying to interfere in the 2020 election in Georgia on Friday submitted a formal application to appeal a judge's ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to remain on the case. McAfee's ruling said Willis could continue her prosecution if Wade left the case, and the special prosecutor resigned hours later. Lawyers for Trump and other defendants then asked McAfee to allow them to appeal his ruling to the Georgia Court of Appeals, and he granted that request. The filing of an application with the appeals court is the next step in that process. The Court of Appeals now has 45 days to decide whether it will take up the matter.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Trump, Willis, Nathan Wade, Scott McAfee, McAfee's, Wade, McAfee, Wade upended, Democrat Joe Biden, Georgia's Organizations: Fulton County Government Center, Trump, of Appeals, Republican, Democrat Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta , Georgia, Georgia

CNN —Former President Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants in the Georgia election subversion case are appealing a judge’s ruling that let Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis remain on the election subversion case. The defense attorneys on Friday asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to overturn Judge Scott McAfee’s initial decision that allowed Willis and her office continue to pursue the case but only if Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor with whom she had a romantic relationship, resigned. While Wade has since left the case, defense attorneys still want the appellate court to disqualify the entire Fulton County DA’s office. “DA Willis has covered herself and her office in scandal and disrepute, as she has squandered her credibility and repeatedly and flagrantly violated the heightened ethical standards demanded of her position,” the appeal states. However, the judge added, “Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices – even repeatedly.”The district attorney’s office declined to comment.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Judge Scott McAfee’s, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade, Trump, “ DA Willis, flagrantly, McAfee, ” McAfee, CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, Trump Locations: Georgia, Fulton, Fulton County

ATLANTA (AP) — The charges against former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case seek to criminalize political speech and advocacy conduct that the First Amendment protects, his lawyers argued in a court filing challenging the indictment. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee plans to hear arguments on that filing and on two pretrial motions filed by former Georgia Republican Party chair David Shafer during a hearing set for Thursday. Lawyers for Shafer argue that he acted legally when he and other state Republicans signed a certificate asserting that Trump won the 2020 presidential election in Georgia and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors. McAfee is forging ahead with the case even as Trump and other defendants have said they plan to seek a ruling from the Georgia Court of Appeals to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis. The charges against him include impersonating a public officer, forgery, false statements and writings, and attempting to file false documents.

Persons: Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, David Shafer, Shafer, Trump, “, McAfee, Fani Willis, Willis, Nathan Wade, Democrat Joe Biden, Brad Raffensperger, ”, Prosecutors, Biden, Shafer “, ” Willis, Wade Organizations: ATLANTA, Georgia Republican, Republicans, Trump, Republican, Democrat, Georgia Republicans, Georgia House, Georgia, Electoral, Democratic, Prosecutors Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Raffensperger

☆ Trump is just 3 weeks from becoming the first ex-president to go on trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Yet the moment that history is likely to remember most clearly unfolded in a Manhattan courtroom where Trump sat seething as a judge thwarted his latest delaying tactics and set a date for his hush money trial. Of course, it’s also possible that Trump could be acquitted in this criminal case. It is a mark of the depth of Trump’s legal hole that a reduced requirement to post a bond worth $175 million counts as a big win. Already clashing with another judgeTurning to Judge Juan Merchan, who took the gloss off of the ex-president’s day by scheduling the trial date, Trump issued another bitter complaint. Trump’s looming criminal trial presents a challenge and an opportunity for the Biden campaign.

Persons: Donald Trump staved, Trump, it’s, Stormy Daniels, isn’t, ” Trump, ”, he’d, he’ll, Arthur Engoron, Letitia James, “, Juan Merchan, Attorney Alvin Bragg, ” Ryan Goodman, CNN’s Erica Hill, Jack, Fani Willis, Willis, Aileen Cannon, Biden, Nikki Haley, she’s, Joe Biden, Trump’s, “ Donald Trump, James Singer, Donald Trump, –, Merchan, ” Merchan Organizations: CNN, Trump, New York, ”, Manhattan, Attorney, Department of Defense, Fulton, GOP, South Carolina Gov, Biden, Arab American, Israel, Engoron, Monday Locations: Manhattan, New York, Fulton County, Georgia, Lago, Florida, Trump, Atlanta, Michigan, Gaza, York

☆ Fulton County DA Fani Willis says ‘the train is coming’ for Trump and his co-defendants
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Jaide Timm-Garcia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Saturday that “the train is coming,” referring to her team’s preparation for the case against former President Donald Trump and his 14 co-defendants and whether she was slowed down by attempts to remove her from the case. I do think there are efforts to slow down this train, but the train is coming,” she said while attending an Atlanta-area Easter basket giveaway. On Wednesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee granted requests from Trump and his co-defendants to appeal the decision to allow Willis to continue prosecuting the case. Willis said she doesn’t feel as though she needs to rehabilitate her reputation with Fulton County residents, adding, “I’m not embarrassed by anything I’ve done. And as long as I’m here, I’m going to try to do the job in a way that’s honorable.”CNN’s Jason Morris and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, ”, We’re, ” Willis, Scott McAfee, Trump, Nathan Wade, Saturday, “, “ I’m, I’m, Wade, I’ve, ” CNN’s Jason Morris, Zachary Cohen Organizations: CNN, Trump, Chapel United Methodist Church Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia

☆ Trump and co-defendants re-up their efforts to disqualify DA Fani Willis
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Jason Morris | Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

If he approves the request, the Georgia Court of Appeals would decide whether to take up the matter. McAfee concluded that if Willis stayed, Wade had to step down in order to dispel the “cloud of impropriety” created by their romantic relationship. Wade, who has testified that his romantic relationship with Willis is over, resigned after the ruling was issued on Friday. Willis and Wade’s relationship was thrust into the spotlight in January when co-defendant Mike Roman filed a motion to disqualify Willis over allegations of an “improper” relationship with Wade, whom she hired in 2021. Trump and his co-defendants wanted the judge to disqualify Willis’ team from the case – or throw out the charges – because of a possible conflict of interest.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee’s, Willis, Steve Sadow, Trump’s, Sadow, “, ” McAfee, Trump, Nathan Wade, McAfee, Wade, ”, Mike Roman, Willis ’, –, Jack Forrest Organizations: CNN, State of, Trump Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, State of Georgia

☆ Bruce Willis’s daughter Tallulah says autism diagnosis has ‘changed my life’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Alli Rosenbloom | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Bruce Willis’s youngest daughter Tallulah Willis is sharing for the first time that she was diagnosed with autism. Tallulah Willis, 30, shared her health update over the weekend when she posted a throwback video on her Instagram page of herself with her father. In the video, Bruce Willis is holding a young Tallulah in his arms while appearing at a red carpet event. (From left) Bruce Willis with daughter Tallulah Willis in New York City in 2015. Tallulah Willis is the youngest daughter of Bruce Willis and ex-wife Demi Moore.

Persons: CNN — Bruce Willis’s, Tallulah Willis, Bruce Willis, Tallulah, ”, I’ve, Kevin Mazur, it’s, Daniel Geschwind, Gordon, Virginia Macdonald, “, ” Geschwind, Demi Moore, Rumer, Scout Willis, Moore – Organizations: CNN, UCLA, FOX, Vogue Locations: New York City

☆ Rudy Giuliani said he'll be disbarred but that supporting Trump would 'help me in heaven for sticking to my principles'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former New York Mayor Giuliani said on Sunday that his support of Trump showed he stuck to his principles. AdvertisementRudy Giuliani predicted on Sunday that he'll be disbarred but said his loyalty to former President Donald Trump would be a boon for him "in heaven." Advertisement"I consider that something that will help me in heaven for sticking to my principles and not being a weakling like all these weaklings who were afraid to represent Trump," Giuliani said. A month later, a US appeals court also suspended Giuliani in Washington. Then came the July 2023 recommendation that Giuliani be disbarred, which will go to the DC Court of Appeals for a final decision.

Persons: New York Mayor Giuliani, who's, Giuliani, —, Rudy Giuliani, he'll, Donald Trump, he'd, ", Fani Willis Organizations: New York, Trump, Service, Association, New, DC, Appeals, Business Locations: New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, DC, Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Opinion: Trump gives Biden one big lift
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Former President Donald Trump’s favorability ratings are only slightly better. The bipartisan legislation to control the flow of migrants across the southern border was blown up by opposition from Trump. One thing that is going right for Biden is Trump himself. “I want to vote for Donald Trump in November, wrote Marc A. Thiessen in the Washington Post. … Just like office holders have released their tax returns (up until former President Donald Trump), I would like to see more candidates release their physical and mental health assessments,” Schurman observed.

Persons: Oscar, ” Ramy Youssef, hungers, Max McCandles, Godwin Baxter, “, Frankenstein, Willem Dafoe, McCandles, Baxter, who’s, ”, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Clay Jones, Trump, Ruth Ben, Ghiat, “ Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Saddam Hussein, —, — Donald Trump, ‘, ” Ben, Donald Trump, Marc A, Thiessen, Will, that’s, Dana M, Peterson, Erik Lundh, Will RFK, Mary ’, Aaron Rodgers, Julian Zelizer, Kamala Harris, Andrey Spektor, Hunter Biden, Andrea Hailey, We’re, Frederick D, Dennis Aftergut, Bill Bramhall, Hilary Krieger, Gary Schmidt, ” Bradley Schurman, …, Schurman, Robert Hur, Jack Ohman, Patrick T, Brown, Hur, Republicans “, Biden’s, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Willis, Fani Willis, Willis ’, Nathan Wade, Wade, Norman Eisen, Danya Perry, Joshua Kolb, Scott McAfee, Wade’s, ” “, ’ Biden, ” Jose Antonio Vargas, “ It’s, ” Dana Summers, Garry Pierre, Pierre, Ariel Henry, Henry, America sneezes, Frida Ghitis, TikTok, ” Ghitis, Catherine, Princess, Kate, George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, ” Rosa Prince, Louis ’, William, ’, ” Prince, Ekaterina Kotrikadze, Jonathan I, Fareed Zakaria, Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Kristen Stewart’s, queerness, Doug Heye, MAGA Trump, Dean Obeidallah, Katie Britt’s, Amy Hanauer, Naomi Walker, Robert Downey Jr, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Arturo Holmes, Jeff Yang, Jack Palance, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, they’d, ” Yang, Cord Jefferson, Lily Gladstone, “ Gladstone, she’s, Leonardo, DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Emma Stone’s, Bella, ” Stone Organizations: CNN, Trump, Hamas, GOP, Washington Post, Mar, Hungarian, ”, Conference Board, Will RFK Jr, White House, American Enterprise Institute, Biden, Union, Republicans, Twitter, Pew Research Center, Content Agency Haiti, Haitian Times, Haitian, America, Kensington Palace, AP, Reuters, Agency, North, Hollywood Locations: Gaza, Israel, Ohio, Washington, Ukraine, Afghanistan, America, Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton, he’s, Florida, Texas, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Maryland, China, Wales, Kensington, North America, La, American

While discussing the U.S. economy and its auto industry, Mr. Trump promised to place tariffs on cars manufactured abroad if he won in November. Mr. Trump mentioned Bernie Moreno, his preferred Senate candidate in Ohio and a former car dealer from Cleveland, only sparingly. Mr. Trump was redirected from a planned trip to Arizona to appear with Mr. Moreno as a last-minute push. Mr. Trump called Mr. Biden a “stupid president” several times and at one point referred to him as a “dumb son of a — ” before trailing off. “Everything is up: Chicken’s up, bread is up and I can’t read this damn teleprompter,” Mr. Trump said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Biden, don’t, ”, “, Mr, “ They’re, Bernie Moreno, Moreno, Sherrod Brown, Fani Willis, Gavin Newsom, J.B . Pritzker, Willis’s, Newsom “ Gavin, Trump’s, James Singer, Steven Cheung, Joe Biden, Maddie McGarvey, Moreno’s, Matt Dolan, Dolan, Mitt Romney, ” Mr, Dolan’s Organizations: Ohio’s Republican Senate, Republican, Dayton International, Capitol, Mr, Democrat, Gov, California, Illinois, The New York Times, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Guardians Locations: United States, Vandalia , Ohio, Ohio, Cleveland, Arizona, Atlanta, Georgia, New York

CNN —Former President Donald Trump warned Saturday that if he were to lose the 2024 election, it would be a “bloodbath” for the US auto industry and the country. That’ll be the least of it.”The comment came in the midst of an extended riff on the auto industry, unions, the transition to electric vehicles and auto plants in Mexico. The Trump campaign shot back Saturday night, saying the former president was speaking about autoworkers. “Biden’s policies will create an economic bloodbath for the auto industry and autoworkers,” Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. “Crooked Joe Biden and his campaign are engaging in deceptively, out-of-context editing that puts Roman Polanski to shame,” Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung told CNN.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, “ We’re, you’re, ” Trump, don’t, autoworkers, isn’t, I’m, ”, Bernie Moreno, Trump’s, Joe Biden’s, “, ” Biden, James Singer, Karoline Leavitt, Crooked Joe Biden, Roman Polanski, Steven Cheung, Fani Willis, Biden, they’ve, it’s, Adolf Hitler Organizations: CNN, EV, Trump, CNBC, Republican, Fulton, Capitol, US Locations: Vandalia , Ohio, Mexico, Rust, Fulton County

☆ Live updates: Fani Willis ruling on Georgia Trump election case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks at a press conference next to prosecutor Nathan Wade after a Grand Jury brought back indictments against former president Donald Trump and his allies in their attempt to overturn the state's 2020 election results, in Atlanta. Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters/FileDuring testimony last month, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis described the end of her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump. Both Wade and Willis said the relationship ended in summer 2023. Willis implied that the physical component ended earlier in the summer, but that the two had a “tough conversation” that fully ended things afterward. “We would have brutal arguments about the fact that I am your equal,” she told the judge about her conversations with Wade.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Elijah Nouvelage, Wade, Willis, sully, ” Willis, ” Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta

☆ Judge threatens to kick DA Fani Willis off Trump's Georgia election interference case if top prosecutor doesn't step aside
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | Natalie Musumeci | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A judge issued a disqualification ruling in Fulton County DA Fani Willis from Trump's election interference case. AdvertisementA Georgia judge has ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can continue to oversee former President Donald Trump's historic state election interference case — but only if her top prosecutor steps aside. Related storiesThey both testified at a February 15 evidentiary hearing that the District Attorney has always been fiercely financially independent and paid her own way. The mere appearance of a conflict was strong enough to require removing either Wade or Willis from the case, he wrote. The judge gave District Attorney Fani Willis an option to recuse herself and her office, or for her top prosecutor to withdraw from the case.

Persons: Fani Willis, Willis, Mike Roman, —, Donald Trump's, Scott McAfee's, Nathan Wade, McAfee, Wade, SADA Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Trump's codefendant Mike Roman, Merchant, Trump, Terrence Bradley, Bradley, Terrance Bradley, John Merchant, Adam Abbate, Abbate Organizations: Fulton, Trump, Service, State, Attorney, Roman, DAs Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, Trump's Georgia

CNN —Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on and prosecute the Georgia 2020 election interference racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and 14 of his co-defendants, Judge Scott McAfee ruled Friday, but only if she removes the special prosecutor with whom she engaged in a romantic relationship. CNN has reached out to the district attorney’s office regarding the next steps in the case. Wilis chose to dedicate much of her energy on what she believed was the most important case: prosecuting Trump for his attempts to steal the Georgia election in 2020. But the next 40 non-racketeering charges stemmed from roughly a dozen key incidents after the 2020 election. Trump and 14 of his allies have pleaded not guilty to all the charges in the sprawling racketeering case.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, Willis, Nathan Wade, Trump, Willis ’, McAfee, ” McAfee, Wade, “, Wade “, Fulton, CNN Ashleigh Merchant, Mike Roman, Merchant, sully, ” Willis, ”, Wilis, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, Mike Pence Organizations: CNN, Court, Trump, Jail, Department Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, reimbursements, Wade’s, Fulton, Coffee County , Georgia

Elijah Nouvelage | ReutersThe sprawling Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants can continue if either Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis or prosecutor Nathan Wade removes themselves, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled Friday. Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee looks on during a hearing in the case of the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump on February 12, 2024 at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia. Willis and Wade admitted to the relationship only after it was first alleged in January court filings for defendant Michael Roman. and the prosecutor engaged in an "improper, clandestine personal relationship" and that they profited off the arrangement at taxpayers' expense. But both Willis and Wade insisted their relationship posed neither a personal nor financial conflict, and Willis has decried related claims as "fantastical theories and rank speculation."

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Elijah Nouvelage, Scott McAfee, Willis, Wade, Trump's, Joe Biden's, Donald John Trump, Alyssa Pointer, Trump, Steve Sadow, Pete Skandalakis, Michael Roman Organizations: Trump, of, NBC News Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia's, of Georgia, Fulton, Atlanta , Georgia

☆ Takeaways From the Ruling on Georgia Trump Prosecutor’s Conduct
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Danny Hakim | Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The much-anticipated ruling on whether Fani T. Willis should be disqualified from prosecuting former President Donald J. Trump and 14 of his allies in Georgia came on Friday, requiring her to make an unusual decision. Wade, a former boyfriend, withdraws from the case, which she hired him to manage. For much of this year, headlines and hearings delving into the romantic relationship between the two prosecutors have overshadowed the case itself, in which the defendants are charged with conspiring to thwart the will of Georgia voters after Mr. Trump lost the 2020 presidential election. Defense lawyers brought to light the relationship between the prosecutors, saying it had created an untenable conflict of interest. But Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton Superior Court rejected that argument on Friday, while sharply criticizing Ms. Willis for a “tremendous lapse in judgment.”

Persons: Willis, Donald J, Trump, Nathan J, Wade, Scott McAfee, ” Organizations: Fulton Superior Court Locations: Georgia, Fulton County ,, Fulton

☆ Ruling Expected Friday on Effort to Disqualify Trump Prosecutors in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Danny Hakim | Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A judge is expected to rule on Friday on the effort by former President Donald J. Trump and his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case to disqualify Fani T. Willis, the prosecutor overseeing it. The disqualification effort began more than two months ago, when a defense lawyer said in a court filing that Ms. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, had engaged in a romantic relationship with Nathan J. Wade, the lawyer she hired to run the case. Ms. Willis acknowledged the relationship several weeks after the defense filing, and later testified that the relationship ended last summer. She and her team have sharply rebutted the idea that a conflict ever existed.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Fani, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Ms Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

Trump’s legal tactic of pursuing delays and elevating smoke-and-mirror sideshows has dramatically increased the odds that any halt of his ascent to the presidency will instead have to come from voters at the ballot box in November. Many experts agree that was Trump’s principal legal “strategy” from the outset. We need at least four delays – delay, delay, delay, delay – when we talk about the Trump strategy to match the four trials,” says Norm Eisen, former special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during Trump’s first impeachment trial. Eisen says that even with the hiccups prosecutor incurred this week, the delay strategy can only take Trump so far. “I think the delay, delay, delay, delay tactic is going to run out of steam and we’re certain to see one criminal trial of the former president for 2016 election interference and we may very well see multiple trials,” Eisen said.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Trump, ”, Norm Eisen, Trump’s, Fani Willis, Willis, Nathan Wade, Scott McAfee, Wade, McAfee, Aileen Cannon, Cannon, Jack Smith’s, Smith, Stormy Daniels, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bragg, Eisen, ” Eisen, “ Organizations: Republican, White, Trump, Presidential Records, Manhattan, Attorney, Southern, of, Justice Department Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, of New York, Florida

☆ Highlights of the Judge’s Decision in the Georgia Trump Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Charlie Savage | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A judge overseeing the criminal election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump in Georgia declined on Friday to disqualify the district attorney leading the prosecution, Fani T. Willis, over a romantic relationship she had with the lawyer she hired to manage the case, Nathan J. But even as the judge, Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, rejected the claim by one of Mr. Trump’s co-defendants, Mike Roman, that the relationship raised an actual conflict of interest by giving Ms. Willis a financial stake in the case, the judge also ruled that it raised “a significant appearance of impropriety.”The judge gave her two choices: either Mr. Wade leaves her prosecution team, or she and her office must step aside from the case.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Fani, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Scott McAfee, Trump’s, Mike Roman Organizations: Fulton County Superior Court Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

☆ What We Know About the Relationship Between the Trump Prosecutors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Merchant said that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade, whom she hired to manage the Trump case, had been “profiting personally from this prosecution” at taxpayers’ expense. Merchant also said that Mr. Wade was underqualified, and argued that the entire indictment should be dismissed. A torrent of court filings followed, as did a number of dramatic, televised public hearings that had little to do with the indictment charging Mr. Trump and some of his allies with conspiring to overturn his 2020 election loss. Defense lawyers argued that Ms. Willis had engaged in “self-dealing” by hiring Mr. Wade to manage the Trump prosecution, and then going on vacations with him that he paid for, at least in part. Defense lawyers also accused Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis of lying to the court about some details of their relationship, including when it began.

Persons: Fani, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Donald J, Trump’s, Merchant, Mr, underqualified, Trump, Willis of Organizations: Trump Locations: Fulton County, Georgia

☆ Judge Rules D.A. Can Stay on Trump Georgia Case With Ex-Boyfriend Stepping Down
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

An Atlanta judge ruled on Friday that Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, could continue leading the election interference prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump and his allies in Georgia, but only if her former romantic partner, Nathan J. The highly anticipated ruling by Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton Superior Court cut a middle path between removing Ms. Willis for a conflict of interest, which defense lawyers had sought, and her full vindication. The judge sharply criticized Ms. Willis for dating Mr. Wade, whom she hired as a special prosecutor on the case, calling it a “tremendous lapse in judgment.”Hours after the ruling, Ms. Willis said that Mr. Wade had offered his resignation, and that she had accepted it. Judge McAfee had rejected a defense claim that the relationship had raised an actual conflict of interest by giving Ms. Willis a financial stake in the case. But he found that it had raised “a significant appearance of impropriety” that needed to be addressed.

Persons: Willis, Donald J, Trump, Nathan J, Wade, Judge Scott McAfee, ”, Judge McAfee Organizations: Fulton Superior Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton

☆ A Prosecutor in the Trump Georgia Case Resigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wade resigned from the Georgia Trump caseNathan Wade resigned today from his post as special prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump. The move came after an Atlanta judge told Fani Willis, Wade’s boss and former romantic partner, that she and her office could keep the case only if Wade stepped down. With delays mounting, the case against Trump and 14 co-defendants, which is related to efforts to undo Trump’s election loss in Georgia in 2020, is unlikely to come to trial before the November election. Willis emerges from weeks of embarrassing hearings and headlines with a bruised reputation that could color the views of a future jury, making convictions more difficult. Another Trump trial: A New York judge delayed Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan until at least mid-April, postponing the only one of his four criminal cases that appeared set to begin.

Persons: Wade, Georgia Trump, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Wade’s, Scott McAfee, Willis, Trump Organizations: Trump Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Fulton County, York, Manhattan

☆ Fani Willis Hangs Onto Trump Case, but More Turbulence Lies Ahead
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After revelations of Fani T. Willis’s romance with a subordinate sent the Georgia criminal case against Donald J. Trump down a two-month detour worthy of a soap opera, a judge’s ruling on Friday resolved a major cliffhanger. Ms. Willis could continue prosecuting the case, so long as her ex-boyfriend withdrew from it. Wade, whom Ms. Willis hired as a special prosector, only settled so much. A fresh and complicated array of problems lies ahead for Ms. Willis, and for one of the most significant state criminal cases in American history. “Her troubles are far from over,” Clark D. Cunningham, a law professor and ethics specialist at Georgia State University, said in an email on Friday.

Persons: Fani, Donald J, Trump, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, “, ” Clark D, Cunningham, Biden, Judge Scott McAfee Organizations: Georgia State University, Mr Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

But McAfee’s 23-page opinion was a scathing rebuke of the district attorney’s actions, and it remains unclear if Trump will face trial before November on his actions after the 2020 presidential election. McAfee ruled that either Wade or Willis would have to leave the case, as an “odor of mendacity remains” over the circumstances of their relationship. “A perceived conflict in the reasonable eyes of the public threatens confidence in the legal system itself,” McAfee wrote Friday. “An outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist,” McAfee wrote.

Persons: Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Donald Trump –, Nathan Wade, Willis, Wade, It’s, Trump, McAfee, ”, Mike Roman, Willis ’, ” McAfee, Willis wasn’t, Willis –, SADA, untruthfully, Wade “, “, Will Wade, there’s, –, ” CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, White House, Trump, Manhattan District, US, Attorney, District, District Attorney, ” Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Washington, New York, –, reimbursements, Atlanta

☆ Read Nathan Wade’s Resignation Letter
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Fani T. Willis District Attorney SUSIRG JUDICIAL CIRCU OFFICE OF THE FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY ATLANTA JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 136 PRYOR STREET SW, 3RD FLOOR ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 Nathan J. Building 25, Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30339 March 15, 2024 TELEPHONE 404-612-4639 Dear Mr. Wade: I received your resignation letter dated March 15, 2024, and I accept it, effective immediately. You were the one who had the courage to accept the role, even though you did not seek it. You led a team that secured a true bill of indictment against nineteen individuals who are accused of violating Georgia law to undermine the 2020 election for the former President of the United States. You have successfully litigated in the United States District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to ensure that Fulton County citizens will be the jurors who decide justice in this case.

Persons: Nathan J, Wade, Campbell, Mr, Georgia's Organizations: Willis, COUNTY DISTRICT, of Columbia, United States, Court, Appeals, Eleventh Circuit Locations: ATLANTA, ATLANTA , GEORGIA, S.E, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Fulton County

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