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☆ Opinion: Student protests are what created the university as we know it
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Opinion David M. Perry | Matthew Gabriele | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: David M. Perry is a journalist, historian and senior academic adviser in the history department of the University of Minnesota. CNN —In recent days, protests by college students against Israel’s actions in the ongoing war in Gaza have popped up across the country. Concerned faculty at the University of Texas-Austin called a strike to protest police actions against peaceful protestors. But then, in the year 1200 CE, a group of students in Paris got swindled by a shopkeeper. They are a reminder that institutions of higher learning are a union between teachers and students dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge.

Persons: David M, Perry, Matthew Gabriele, “, ”, Noëlle McAfee, Caroline Fohlin, Elijah Nouvelage, King Philip II Augustus of France, Paris didn’t, doesn’t, Ibn Rushd Organizations: University of Minnesota, of Religion, Virginia Tech, CNN, University of Texas, CUNY, Emory University, Notre Dame, universitas, Twitter Locations: Europe, Gaza, Emory, Austin, Paris, ”

Charly Triballeau | AFP | Getty ImagesBillionaire donors like Robert Kraft and Leon Cooperman are weighing their support for Columbia University amid rising campus tensions over pro-Palestinian protests. "Columbia is grateful to Mr. Kraft for his years of generosity and service to Columbia," a Columbia spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC. Cooperman and Kraft so far, represent a minority of wealthy Columbia University donors who are speaking out on the protests. CNBC reached out to half a dozen foundations listed by Columbia University as having given at least $1 million to the school since 2014. Students protest in support of Palestinians on Columbia University campus, as protests continue inside and outside the university, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in New York City, U.S., April 22, 2024.

Persons: Bruce A Blakeman, Charly Triballeau, Robert Kraft, Leon Cooperman, Kraft, Nemat, Shafik, Roger Goodell, Austin McAfee, Cooperman, James Gorman, Morgan Stanley, David Greenspan, Leon Cooperman Scott Mlyn, University President Shafik, Caitlin Ochs Organizations: Nassau, Columbia University, AFP, Getty, Columbia, New England Patriots, Georgia World, Center, Kraft Group, Foundation, Combat, Kraft Center for Jewish, The Kraft Group, CNBC, Omega Family, Columbia Business School, Slate, CNBC Columbia Students, Justice, New York Police, NYPD, University President, Students, Columbia University campus, Hamas Locations: New York, Columbia, Gaza, Atlanta, Palestine, Israel, Palestinian, New York City, U.S

☆ Kaspersky: Biden administration preparing to prevent Americans from using Russian-made software over national security concern
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

US government agencies are already banned from using Kaspersky Lab software but action to prevent private companies from using the software would be unprecedented. It’s the latest US government effort to use its vast regulatory powers to prevent Americans from using popular technology that US officials consider a national security risk. A Kaspersky Lab spokesperson did not respond to questions about a potential prohibition or about how big the company’s market share is in the US. Commerce Department officials have to carefully consider how practical any such regulation would be for the department to enforce and for users to comply with. But the expected move from the Biden administration would go a step further by using Commerce Department authorities to prevent private companies from using Kaspersky Lab software.

Persons: CNN —, Biden, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Kaspersky, Trump, ”, ” Henry Young, Young, Eugene Kaspersky, ” Kaspersky, hasn’t, Harold Martin, ” CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Phil Mattingly, Evan Perez Organizations: CNN, Commerce Department, Kaspersky, Commerce, Trump, Emergency Economic, Street, Companies “, Business Software Alliance, Department, McAfee, Symantec, Lab, —, Russian Ministry of Defense, West, National Security Agency, Politico, NSA, Wall Street Locations: Russian, America, Commerce, Moscow, Russia, Israel, Eugene, Ukraine

For much of this year, the high-profile case took a detour as Mr. Trump and his co-defendants sought to disqualify Ms. Willis, claiming that her romantic relationship with Nathan J. But last month, Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton Superior Court ruled that an actual conflict of interest did not exist. He allowed Ms. Willis to keep the case, though only if Mr. Wade stepped aside to resolve an “appearance of impropriety.” Mr. Wade resigned after the ruling. Lawyers for Mr. Trump and other defendants have asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to reverse the decision. The court, which leans conservative, has until mid-May to decide whether to take up the matter.

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

☆ Trump is just days from his first criminal trial after latest legal gambit fails
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

And if there’s one of the four criminal trials that Trump would prefer to take place first, it’s this one. But there is a clear trend of him using frivolous legal challenges to slow the road to trials. With only four weekdays until the New York trial begins, the chances that it will be further delayed are fading fast. If he’s reelected, Trump would regain presidential powers that would allow him to stall or even end the federal case against him completely. “There is no democracy without robust and uninhibited freedom of expression,” Trump attorney Steve Sadow said in a statement.

Persons: Donald Trump, –, Trump, he’d, “, Judge Juan Merchan, ”, they’ve, Stormy Daniels, can’t, Joe Biden, Biden, couldn’t, “ Trump, He’s, Jack Smith, Smith, ” Smith, he’s, Smith’s, Aileen Cannon, ” Trump, Steve Sadow, Scott McAfee, Lizbeth González Organizations: CNN, Republican, Trump, Prosecutors, GOP Locations: Manhattan, New York, York, Trump, Chicago, Washington, Florida, Georgia, Fulton County, Washington , DC

☆ ESPN executive targeted by host Pat McAfee departs network
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-05 | by ( Jon Passantino | Oliver Darcy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —ESPN executive Norby Williamson, who came under attack in recent months from host Pat McAfee in an on-air rant accusing the network veteran of “sabotage,” will depart the sports network. Norby Williamson will be leaving the company today after nearly 40 years of dedicated service,” Magnus wrote in the memo. “There are some people actively trying to sabotage us from within ESPN,” McAfee said on his program. “More specifically I believe Norby Williamson is the guy who is attempting to sabotage our program.”The public attack on a senior network executive stunned observers. “Almost 40 years ago in 1985, I was so very fortunate to be offered an opportunity at ESPN,” he wrote.

Persons: Norby Williamson, Pat McAfee, Burke Magnus, “, ” Magnus, Norby, McAfee, Williamson, ” McAfee, there’s, ‘, Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Kimmel, Jeffrey Epstein, Kimmel, Rodgers, ”, we’ve Organizations: CNN, ESPN, YouTube, ESPN …, New York Jets, ABC

CNN —Former President Donald Trump was dealt two major setbacks Thursday in his efforts to derail the criminal cases against him, with judges in the Georgia election interference case and in the federal classified documents case both rejecting bids by the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee to have those cases thrown out. Trump has made similar presidential immunity arguments in the Georgia case and in the classified documents case. She wrote that prosecutors “make no reference to the Presidential Records Act” in the indictment against Trump and did not “rely” on the statute to bring charges. McAfee’s ruling is the latest step inching the state racketeering case against Trump forward. McAfee’s refusal to scrap the indictment comes as the free speech defense has repeatedly fallen short in pretrial wrangling in election meddling cases.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Jack Smith, –, Trump, Aileen Cannon, “, Cannon, ”, Scott McAfee, Willis, ” McAfee, McAfee, Tanya Chutkan, Steve Sadow, Smith, Trump’s Organizations: CNN, Trump, White, Records, Presidential, Circuit, Peach State, McAfee, National Archives, Prosecutors Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, New York, York, Washington ,, Florida, Atlanta, Peach

A gag order against one of Trump’s biggest foes could score political points and help him and his co-defendants in the short term. Then, McAfee appeared to suggest a gag order may be necessary. “I don’t know a reason to have a gag order right now,” Parker told CNN. The former president already faces a gag order in his criminal hush money case that’s headed to trial later this month in New York. And several other defendants in the Georgia case, including former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer, have offered commentary on the case and Willis on social media.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Willis, juggles, Trump, Scott McAfee, ” Willis, McAfee, Nathan Wade, Wade, Wade’s, ”, I’ve, ” McAfee, Willis ’, Steve Sadow, Michael J, Moore, ” Moore, they’ve, Buddy Parker, John Eastman, hasn’t, ” Parker, “, ” Willis ’, ‘, ’ ” McAfee, Rudy Giuliani, David Shafer Organizations: CNN, Trump, McAfee, Middle, Georgia GOP, gander Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Fulton County, Middle District, Trump, “, New York, we’re

☆ Trump loses bid to dismiss Georgia election interference case on free speech grounds
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A judge on Thursday denied an effort by Donald Trump to dismiss his criminal election interference case in Georgia on grounds that the indictment violates his free speech rights. "Even core political speech addressing matters of public concern is not impenetrable from prosecution if allegedly used to further criminal activity," McAfee wrote. The defendants argued that their speech about Georgia's 2020 election results was political and that they cannot be prosecuted for making even false political statements. But the charges do not hinge solely on whether their election claims were true or false, McAfee wrote. "The allegations that the Defendants' speech or conduct was carried out with criminal intent are something only a jury can resolve."

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Joe Biden, Scott McAfee, McAfee Organizations: U.S, Atlanta Hartsfield, Jackson International, Fulton County Superior Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta , Georgia, Georgia

☆ Trump loses bids to dismiss classified docs, Georgia election cases on the same day
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Donald Trump on Thursday afternoon lost two separate attempts to dismiss criminal charges against him in his Florida and Georgia cases. In Florida federal court, Judge Aileen Cannon rejected Trump's bid to drop charges against him related to his alleged mishandling of hundreds of classified documents after he left the White House. In a brief order, Cannon wrote that Trump's argument, which hinged on his interpretation of the Presidential Records Act, was an insufficient basis for dismissal. That ruling came about two hours after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee denied Trump's attempt to dismiss his Georgia election interference case on the grounds that it violated his free speech rights. The twin losses came one day after New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan denied a request by Trump to delay his upcoming criminal hush money trial.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Trump's, Cannon, Scott McAfee, Juan Merchan, Trump, Cannon's, Jack Smith, Smith Organizations: White, Presidential Records, Fulton, New York, Records Locations: New York City, Florida, Georgia

☆ ‘He really pushes the boundaries’: How Trump has challenged judges trying to rein him in
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Jeremy Herb | Kara Scannell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

New York CNN —It took Donald Trump less than 24 hours to test the boundaries of Judge Juan Merchan’s gag order in his New York criminal trial. Inside the courtroom, Trump has been admonished and threatened with removal for being disruptive. Outside the courtroom, Trump has repeatedly railed against the charges he faces in front of cameras and attacked all of those involved on social media. Engoron issued a gag order on commentary about court staff that covered his clerk, fining Trump twice for breaking it. In the federal classified documents case, Trump has appeared several times before Judge Aileen Cannon, whom he appointed.

Persons: Donald Trump, Juan Merchan’s, Merchan, Trump, –, ”, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, He’s, “, they’re, Reggie Walton, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Judge Arthur Engoron, Letitia James, Engoron, fining Trump, slogged, he’d, Judge Lewis Kaplan, Jean Carroll, Kaplan, Elie Honig, ” Trump, Stormy Daniels, Daniels, Allen Weisselberg, Agnifilo, ” Agnifilo, ” ‘, Tanya Chutkan, ” Chutkan, he’s, Trump’s “, ” Merchan, Honig, CNN Trump, Aileen Cannon, Scott McAfee, Carroll, ” Kaplan, defaming Carroll, CNN’s Lauren Del Valle, Katelyn Polantz, Zachary Cohen Organizations: New, New York CNN, Trump –, CNN, Trump, Trump Organization, Georgia Locations: New York, Manhattan, Fulton County

☆ Trump and Allies Appeal Ruling That Allowed Georgia Prosecutor to Keep Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump and eight of his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case asked an appeals court on Friday to take up their challenge of a judge’s ruling that allowed the prosecutor Fani T. Willis to stay on the case. With their application to appeal, the defendants are once again pressing their argument that Ms. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, created an untenable conflict of interest by having a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case. The presiding judge in the criminal case, Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, had already given the defendants permission to pursue their appeal after he ruled against the efforts to disqualify Ms. Willis. But under Georgia law, the co-defendants must also secure the approval of the Georgia Court of Appeals before the matter can be heard by a panel of three appellate judges.

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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

☆ 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

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

☆ 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

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

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