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In a surprise move on Wednesday, a judge in Atlanta quashed six of the charges against former President Donald J. Trump and his allies in the sprawling Georgia election interference case, including one related to a call that Mr. Trump made to pressure Georgia’s secretary of state in early January 2021. The judge, Scott McAfee of Fulton Superior Court, left intact the rest of the racketeering indictment, which initially included 41 counts. The ruling was not related to a defense effort to disqualify Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., who is leading the case. The nine-page ruling on Wednesday took aim at charges asserting that Mr. Trump and other defendants had solicited public officials to break the law. For example, one count against Mr. Trump said that he “unlawfully solicited, requested and importuned” the Georgia secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, to violate his oath of office by decertifying the election.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Fani, Willis, “, importuned, Brad Raffensperger Organizations: Fulton Superior Court Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Fulton, Fulton County ,

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ Prosecution of Trump in Georgia Hangs in Balance at Hearing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The presiding judge, Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, is not likely to rule on the matter on Friday. Details of her personal life have been spilled out in the Atlanta courthouse where she had hoped to put Mr. Trump and 14 co-defendants on trial as soon as this summer. The stakes are high: If Ms. Willis is disqualified from the case, her entire office would be, too, and the case would probably be turned over to a district attorney from another jurisdiction. The new prosecutor could choose to continue the case as planned, modify the charges or drop them. Disqualification would reduce the chances that a trial would begin before the November presidential election, in which Mr. Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Willis, Scott McAfee, Rather Organizations: Fulton County Superior Court, Republican Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta

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

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

☆ 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

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

☆ Fani Willis takes the stand hellbent on setting the record straight — but legal experts are split on whether her testimony did more harm than good
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Citing a filing from Wade's divorce proceedings, attorneys for the defendants alleged that Wade and Willis had an improper relationship. A witness for the defense attorneys alleged Thursday that Willis and Wade's relationship began in 2019. Nathan Wade, the Georgia prosecutor who admitted to a relationship with his colleague, Fulton County DA Fani Willis, in court. Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies at a hearing Feb. 15 in Atlanta on her relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. Most experts were skeptical that the evidence presented Thursday would lead to Willis or Wade being dismissed from the case.

Persons: —, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, Willis, Wade, pugnacious, Mike Roman, Trump, Stephen Gillers, McCaffee, I've, It's, Gillers, Norman Eisen, Trump's, DA Willis, Eisen, Sarah Krissoff, Krissoff, Mark Bederow, wasn't, Bederow, Neama, Cash, Rahmani, Pool Willis, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, Fulton, New York University, YouTube, Willis Locations: ATLANTA , Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, New York, Manhattan, California

☆ 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

☆ Georgia Trump Case Pivotal Hearing Could Stall Prosecution of Election Interference
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade acknowledged the relationship in a February court filing. Lawyers for Mr. Roman and other defendants are seeking to disqualify the two prosecutors from the case. Defense lawyers argue that the money paid to Mr. Wade creates an incentive for Ms. Willis to prolong the case. She said that the costs of the couple’s personal travel had been “divided roughly evenly” between her and Mr. Wade, so it represented no financial conflict. Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, the presiding judge in the Trump case, was persuaded that there was sufficient reason to hold an evidentiary hearing delving into the relationship.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, — Fani, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Mr, Michael Roman, Scott McAfee, “, Wade’s Organizations: Trump, Mr, Fulton County Superior Court Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta

☆ Trump prosecutors' romantic relationship began years before Georgia election case, witness testifies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Georgia judge presiding over criminal charges against Donald Trump is hearing arguments Thursday about whether to disqualify the district attorney leading the election interference case against the former president. The hearing centers on allegations from one of Trump's co-defendants that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade personally benefited from their romantic relationship. The relationship began in late 2019, shortly after Willis and Wade met at a conference, Yeartie testified. Willis and Wade adamantly deny that their relationship presents a conflict of interest warranting their disqualification from the case. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal counts in the Georgia election case.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Trump's, Robin Yeartie, Willis, Wade, Yeartie, Trump, Joe Biden's, Scott McAfee, Michael Roman Organizations: Fulton County Superior Court, Manhattan Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia's, New York City

☆ What Happens if Fani Willis Is Disqualified From the Trump Case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The stakes are high as a judge in Atlanta weighs whether the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, should be disqualified from leading the prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump on election interference charges. The case would then be reassigned to another Georgia prosecutor, who would have the ability to continue with the case exactly as it is, make major changes — such as adding or dropping charges or defendants — or to even drop the case altogether. The decision to drop the case would end the prosecution of Mr. Trump and his allies for their actions in Georgia after the 2020 election, when the former president sought to overturn his loss in the state. It would be up to a state entity called the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to find someone else to take up the case. More specifically, the decision would fall to the council’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, an experienced former prosecutor.

Persons: Fani, Willis, Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Pete Skandalakis Organizations: ’, of Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, of Georgia

☆ The special prosecutor in Trump's Georgia case says he's no longer dating DA Fani Willis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewNathan Wade, the special prosecutor Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hired to lead the state’s 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies, testified on Thursday that he’s no longer dating the DA. The attorney, in the motion, accused Willis of benefiting financially from hiring Wade because he paid for them to take extravagant vacations. Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies at a hearing Feb. 15 in Atlanta on her relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. For a cruise trip, Wade said Willis paid him before they traveled, and for other trips, Wade said Willis would pay him back during the trip. Willis appointed Wade to the case on November 1, 2021 — one day before he filed for divorce from his wife.

Persons: —, Nathan Wade, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Steve Saddow, Wade, Willis, ” Saddow, ”, ” Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Robert Cheeley, Merchant ., Scott McAfee, Pool Organizations: Service, Fulton, Fulton County Superior Court, Business, Trump, Merchant Locations: Fulton County, Trump, Trump's Georgia, Aruba, Atlanta

☆ With Everything on the Line, Fani Willis Delivered Raw Testimony
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fani T. Willis walked unaccompanied through the front door of a Fulton County courtroom on Thursday afternoon in a bright magenta dress and announced she was ready to testify. She was interrupting her lawyer, who at that very moment was trying to convince a judge that she should not have to testify at all. “I’m going to go,” Ms. Willis said. In a raw performance, Ms. Willis, 52, presented herself as a woman in full — by turns combative and serene, focused and discursive (at one point she declared her preference for Grey Goose vodka over wine). At one point her voice approached a yell, prompting Scott McAfee, the mild-mannered judge, to call a five-minute recess in an apparent effort to cool things down.

Persons: Willis, “ I’m, ” Ms, Donald J, Ashleigh Merchant, Nathan J, Wade, Scott McAfee Organizations: Trump Locations: Fulton, Fulton County ,

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