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☆ 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

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

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

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

☆ Trump wins rare court victory as Georgia judge dismisses 3 criminal counts against him
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewFormer President Donald Trump got a rare bit of good news on Wednesday as the judge overseeing his criminal case in Georgia dismissed three of the counts against him. And the judge did not dismiss the vast majority of the counts in the indictment, dismissing six out of 41 counts overall. So far, 10 criminal counts against Trump remain. Trump himself pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" 11,780 votes that would flip the election results in his favor. He wrote that prosecutors didn't sufficiently explain how public officials would have violated their oaths of office if they allowed Trump a victory.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Trump, Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Trump's, Joe Biden's, Brad Raffensperger, McAfee's, didn't, litigators, McAfee, Willis, Jean Carroll Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, United, Prosecutors, New York Attorney, Trump Organization Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, United States, Atlanta, Manhattan

☆ Judge dismisses several counts against Trump in Georgia election criminal case, others still remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Judge Scott McAfee presides over a hearing regarding media access in the case against former US President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendents, at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 31, 2023. A judge on Wednesday dismissed six counts in the Georgia criminal election interference case against former President Donald Trump and five other defendants, saying that the indictment against them failed to sufficiently explain the basis for those specific charges. But other criminal counts against Trump and the defendants remain after the order by Judge Scott McAfee. The dismissed counts had accused Trump and the others of the crime of solicitation of violation of oath by public officer. "On its own, the United States Constitution contains hundreds of clauses, any one of which can be the subject of a lifetime's study," McAfee wrote.

Persons: Scott McAfee, Donald Trump, Trump, Joe Biden, McAfee Organizations: Trump, United Locations: Fulton, Atlanta , Georgia, Georgia, United States

CNN —The presiding judge in the Georgia criminal case against Donald Trump and his allies has thrown out some of the charges against the former president and several of his co-defendants. The partial dismissal by Georgia Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee leaves most of the sprawling racketeering indictment intact. Trump was named in three of the counts specifically, meaning the former president is now facing 88 charges over the four criminal indictments in Georgia, New York, Washington, DC, and Florida. Prosecutors alleged that Trump and some of his co-defendants violated the law by pressuring members of the Georgia legislature to unlawfully appoint presidential electors. “It was interesting that the judge made room for the possibility of an appeal by the state.

Persons: Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Trump, Mark Meadows, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, ” McAfee, ”, ’, Elie Honig, ” Honig, “, ” Michael Moore, doesn’t, ” Moore, Fani Willis Organizations: CNN, Georgia, Trump, Prosecutors, White House, ’ CNN, Fulton Locations: Georgia, Georgia , New York, Washington, Florida, Fulton County

☆ With Trump set to return to court, his delaying strategy is working so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Trump’s efforts to run out the clock on his federal election trial are also bearing fruit. The New York criminal case involves a hush money payment to a former adult film actress. He wants the judge to push back the trial until after the Supreme Court rules on his presidential immunity case. This seems a long shot since the hush money payment was made before the 2016 election and before Trump took office. Why the credibility of the legal system depends on due processTrump’s motivation in delaying the trials is not just to put off his multiple days of judgment.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, –, Jack Smith’s, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden –, Cannon, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Willis, Smith’s, Tanya Chutkan, Jamie Raskin, ” Raskin, CNN’s Manu Raju, we’ve, ”, Sen, Jen Jordan, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, ” Jordan, Jean Carroll Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, New, Maryland Democratic, Capitol, ” Former, Trump Organization Locations: Florida, Georgia, Fort Pierce , Florida, Fulton County, New York, ” Former Georgia, Peach

☆ Georgia judge says he’s on track to rule this week on whether to remove DA Fani Willis from Trump election case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Nick Valencia | Jason Morris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The presiding judge in former President Donald Trump’s Georgia election subversion case says he is on track to order this week on whether to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. And I’ll tell you that an order like this takes time to write,” McAfee said in the interview. McAfee told the court at the end of the Willis disqualification hearings that he would take at least two weeks to decide. They are too young to have any idea what’s going on or what I do.,” the judge said. “But what I’m looking forward to one day is maybe they grow up a little bit and ask me about it, and I’m looking forward to looking them in the eye and tell them I played it straight and I did the best I could.”

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee, Willis, Trump, “, ” McAfee, I’ve, ”, McAfee, Nathan Wade, Shelley Wynter Organizations: CNN, Fulton, WSB Radio, WSB Radio – Locations: Donald Trump’s Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta

☆ For This Rookie Judge, a Pivotal Decision Looms in the Georgia Trump Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Danny Hakim | Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For Judge Scott McAfee, it was probably an awkward moment. At a hearing in Atlanta last month, he issued a warning to his former boss, Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, during her combative turn on the witness stand. Ms. Willis, who was fighting allegations that threatened her grip on the election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump, had grown so irritated with a defense lawyer that she began expressing her frustration directly to the judge. “I’m going to have to caution you,” the soft-spoken Judge McAfee, of Fulton County Superior Court, told her in response. Legal experts generally agree that Ms. Willis used poor judgment in paying a romantic partner public funds while he was also at least partly paying for vacations they took together — the basis for the defense argument that she engaged in “self-dealing.”

Persons: Scott McAfee, Fani, Willis, Donald J, Trump, “ I’m, McAfee, ” Ms, Willis’s, Judge McAfee, Nathan Wade, ” Organizations: Fulton County Superior Court Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia

☆ Trump DA Fani Willis' credibility has been shot over messy testimony — but perjury charges are very unlikely: legal experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

DA Fani Willis' credibility has been damaged following a misconduct hearing, legal experts said. Willis' 'credibility is shot'Legal experts have long said that the hearing, and the relationship between Willis and Wade, doesn't look good for Willis. Rahmani said the distraction of it all is enough that Willis should recuse herself from the Trump case. On trips they took together, Willis and Wade testified that Willis paid Wade back for her portion in cash. Ms. Yeager heard District Attorney Willis tell Mr. Bradley: 'They are coming after us.

Persons: Fani Willis, Willis, Donald Trump, —, Trump, Wade, it's, Rahmani, Ashleigh Merchant, Trump codefendant Mike Roman, Nathan Wade, Wade —, Daysha Young, Andrew Evans, Alex Slitz, doesn't, Sarah Krissoff, Cozen O'Connor, Krissoff, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Terrence Bradley, Merchant, Bradley, Manny Arora, Cindi Lee Yeager, Cobb County , Georgia —, Trump codefendant David Shafer, Yeager, John Bazemore, Elijah Nouvelage, Mr, Trump codefendant Cathleen Latham, Arora —, Kenneth Chesebro, Arora, Adam Abbate, Abbate Organizations: Service, Fulton, West, Trial, Trump codefendant, Trump, codefendants, Merchant, Wade, Business, USA, Network, Reuters, District Attorney, AP, Washington Post Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, California, Atlanta, Manhattan, Fulton, Cobb County , Georgia

☆ Live updates: Trump classified documents hearing, Fani Willis case closing arguments
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Special Counsel Jack Smith and attorneys for Trump proposed moving the trial later into the summer in court filings Thursday. Smith said he believes that Trump and his two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliviera, should go to trial on July 8, 2024. For Friday’s hearing in the documents case, scheduled for 10 a.m. Hearing over efforts to disqualify Fani Willis: Defense attorneys in Fulton County will deliver their closing arguments as to why Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be dismissed from the election interference case against Trump and his alleged co-conspirators. Attorneys for Trump and his allies are expected to argue that Wade and Willis lied under oath about when their relationship started.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, Trump, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliviera, Cannon, —, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade Organizations: Trump —, Trump Locations: Fulton County

In Florida, meanwhile, a federal judge could push back Trump’s trial date in the classified documents case. Special Counsel Jack Smith and attorneys for Trump proposed moving the trial later into the summer in court filings Thursday. For Friday’s hearing in the documents case, scheduled for 10 a.m. Smith has highlighted a myriad of threats made against individuals connected to the documents case, including witnesses, government employees, an FBI agent involved in the initial Mar-a-Lago search and two federal judges, including Cannon herself. Attorneys for Trump and his allies are expected to argue that Wade and Willis lied under oath about when their relationship started.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Fani Willis, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliviera, De Oliviera’s, Cannon, —, Biden, – Nauta, De Oliveira, –, Willis, Scott McAfee, Nathan Wade, Wade, McAfee, Charles Mittelstadt, Terrence Bradley, Bradley, Ashleigh Merchant, Merchant Organizations: CNN, Trump —, White, National Security Council, Prosecutors, Trump Locations: Georgia, Florida, Fulton County, California, Belize, Caribbean

In Florida, Trump’s attorneys told Judge Aileen Cannon his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case should wait until after the 2024 election. But both hearings could have a significant impact on when – or whether – Trump will face trial in each of those two cases. The only case that appears set: Trump’s New York criminal trial will begin March 25, which Trump’s attorneys said was a “firm” date in court Friday. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis attends a hearing on the Georgia election interference case on Friday in Atlanta. When Trump’s attorneys argued for the hearing, Cannon pushed them to describe how they could narrow its scope and asked them to lay out specifically what a hearing would examine.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Aileen Cannon, Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, – Trump, Jack Smith’s, Willis, Wade, McAfee, Craig Gillen, Alex Slitz, “ We’ve, ”, Gillen, David Shafer, “, ” Gillen, Cannon, Jack Smith, –, Todd Blanche, ” Blanche, Jay Bratt, ” Bratt, ” Cannon, Trump, David Harbach, Biden, Harbach, Emil Bove, ” McAfee, Terrence Bradley, Donald Trump, Steve Sadow, Bradley –, What’s, they’ve, They’ve, Sadow, Bradley, ” Sadow Organizations: CNN, Trump, Fulton, Georgia Republican, “ Prosecutors, ”, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Biden White, FBI Locations: Florida, Georgia, Fulton County, Washington, York, Atlanta

The text messages raise questions about Bradley’s credibility, and the degree to which Merchant appeared to rely on his claims that she was then unable to substantiate elsewhere. Wade and Willis have admitted to being romantically involved, but both have testified their relationship started after Willis appointed Wade lead prosecutor in the Trump case. Merchant had said that he would contradict testimony from Willis and Wade once he took the stand. “Why would you speculate when she was asking you a direct question about when the relationship started?” Sadow pushed. The additional text messages show Bradley calling Merchant his “friend,” offering unsolicited advice, and also bashing Willis and Wade, Bradley’s former law partner.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Terrence Bradley, Ashleigh Merchant, Trump’s, Bradley, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade, Bradley’s, Merchant, Trump, ”, Steve Sadow, ” Sadow, ” Bradley, “, Merchant ., ” Merchant, ” “, Michael Moore, Scott McAfee, ” Moore Organizations: CNN, Trump, Merchant Locations: Georgia, Wade’s

☆ Testimony to Resume as Trump and Georgia Co-Defendants Seek D.A.’s Removal
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump has ordered a key witness back to the stand, as the judge weighs whether Fani T. Willis, the prosecutor who brought the case, has a disqualifying conflict of interest. The witness is Terrence Bradley, the former divorce lawyer and law partner of Nathan Wade, whom Ms. Willis hired to manage the Trump case. The ruling on Monday by Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court is a victory for Mr. Trump and his 14 co-defendants, as they seek to have Ms. Willis, Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis’s entire office removed from the high-stakes case. The defense questioned Mr. Bradley during a court hearing earlier this month, in an attempt to find out whether Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis were being truthful about key details of a romantic relationship that developed between them, including their assertion that the romance began after Mr. Wade began working for Ms. Willis in November 2021. Mr. Bradley declined at that time to answer questions related to what he knew about the romance, citing attorney-client privilege and other rules that shield lawyers from having to disclose communications with clients.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Willis, Terrence Bradley, Nathan Wade, Judge Scott McAfee, Mr, Wade, Willis’s, Bradley Organizations: Fulton County Superior, Mr Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

CNN —A Georgia lawyer who had been billed as a star witness in the effort to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not deliver damaging testimony Tuesday on her romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade. “I do not have knowledge of it starting, or when it started,” Bradley said at one point. That filing leveled allegations that Willis and Wade engaged in an improper romantic relationship from which Willis financially benefited. “Why would you speculate when she was asking you a direct question about when the relationship started?” Sadow pushed. That means attorneys can use it to bolster their legal arguments about whether Willis should be disqualified without witness testimony.

Persons: CNN —, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Terrence Bradley, Willis, Wade, Donald Trump, Bradley, –, “, ” Bradley, ” Ashleigh Merchant, ” Merchant, Scott McAfee, CNN’s Nick Valencia, ’ Bradley, Merchant, Willis ’, ‘, ’ ” Bradley, “ Mr, Richard Rice, ” Trump, Steve Sadow, ” Sadow, ’, McAfee Organizations: CNN, Fulton, Trump, Bradley Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, South Fulton

Friday’s filing from Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in the Georgia case, included an affidavit from a criminal defense investigator who said he relied on subpoenaed cell phone information and cell tower data. The investigator, Charles Mittelstadt, said he generated a report that isolated “all interactions,” including calls and text messages between Wade and Willis. (Trump’s attorney submitted a new filing Friday afternoon to clarify the types of exchanges between Wade and Willis.) In addition, Willis and Wade exchanged phone calls late into the evenings during this time, the investigator says, citing Wade’s subpoenaed cell phone data. This story has been updated with the revised filing from Trump’s attorneys, referring to 12,000 “interactions” between Wade and Willis.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Wade, Steve Sadow, Trump’s, Charles Mittelstadt, “, ”, Mittelstadt, Wade’s, ” Wade, Trump, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Terrence Bradley, Bradley Organizations: CNN, Trump Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton

A judge will continue to hear testimony Friday in a hearing that could derail the election subversion case against Donald Trump and others. Judge Scott McAfee is considering whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from the case based on allegations that she and Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the case, engaged in an improper romantic relationship which financially benefitted the district attorney. Here's what to watch:The allegations against Wade and Willis: The alleged affair was first raised by Trump’s co-defendant, former 2020 campaign official Mike Roman. Last month in a court filing he accused Willis of financially benefiting from selecting Wade to lead the case. Roman alleges that Wade took Willis on lavish vacations, paid partly with what he billed her office for work on the case.

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

I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial,” Willis told defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant. It’s unclear when the judge might rule on whether Willis and her office should be disqualified from the case. Wade and Willis both testified that they didn't start dating until 2022 and that their relationship ended months ago. That successor could either proceed with the charges against Trump and 14 others or drop the case altogether. Willis and Wade's relationship was first revealed by Merchant, an attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, a former campaign staffer and onetime White House aide.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Fani Willis, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade, “, I’m, ” Willis, Ashleigh Merchant, Trump, Scott McAfee, Robin Yeartie, ” Wade, Willis ’, Merchant, Michael Roman, ____ Richer, Adriana Gomez Licon Organizations: ATLANTA, Trump, Republicans, House, Republican, White, Associated Press Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Belize, Aruba, California, Boston, Miami

In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Skandalakis said that he could ask a prosecutor to take on the Trump case voluntarily. Mr. Skandalakis said he could also try to find a lawyer in private practice to replace Ms. Willis. Mr. Skandalakis, a Republican, could also theoretically choose to appoint himself as the new prosecutor. No replacement prosecutor has been named. This week, Mr. Skandalakis declined to say how quickly he would be able to find a replacement for Ms. Willis in the Trump case, if it were necessary.

Persons: Fani, Willis, Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Pete Skandalakis, Skandalakis, Burt Jones, Jones Organizations: ’, of, Republican, Georgia Democrats, Trump Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, of Georgia, United States, DeKalb, Cobb

☆ Trump DA Fani Willis fights back on the stand in Georgia election interference case: 'I'm not on trial.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

You think I'm on trial," Willis quipped to a defense attorney. In a hot pink dress, and visibly displeased, Willis took the stand with an argumentative attitude and choice words for the defense attorney questioning her. Yeartie testified in the case Thursday, saying Willis and Wade began a relationship in 2019, contradicting his prior claims. Willis was verbose on the stand, cracking jokes and snapping at the defense attorney as she appeared eager to take back control of the case. AdvertisementDozens of reporters were squeezed into the back three rows of the downtown Atlanta courtroom, awaiting Willis' testimony.

Persons: —, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Willis, I'm, Craig Gillen, Ashleigh Merchant's, Wade, Robin Bryant Yeartie, Yeartie, Donald John Trump, Scott McAfee, Alyssa Pointer, Mike Roman, Merchant, didn't, Trump, Wade vacationed, quipping Organizations: Service, Fulton, Business, of, Lawyers, Trump, Merchant Locations: ATLANTA, Fulton County, Georgia, of Georgia, Fulton, Atlanta , Georgia, Tennessee, Miami, Atlanta

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