(NationalUSNews.com) — According to a Georgia state judge, District Attorney Fani Willis could be removed from Trump’s election interference case due to her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor assigned to the criminal case. Willis allegedly began a romantic affair with Nathan Wade, a married attorney she hired to assist in prosecuting former President Donald Trump in a 2020 election racketeering case. Trump’s co-defendant, Michael Roman, initially revealed the romantic relationship and cited the affair as misconduct on Willis’ part.
The scandal immediately made national headlines and raised concerns about the potential conflict of interest in Wade and Willis’s professional relationship. Willis denied the presence of a conflict of interest and argued against her disqualification from Trump’s case. A Georgia court scheduled an evidentiary hearing regarding the relationship between Wade and Willis, which could result in both attorneys’ removal from the case against Trump.
Scott McAfee, a Superior Court Judge for Fulton County, addressed the planned evidentiary hearing and the possible removal of Willis. According to McAfee, there’s been enough evidence of a conflict of interest to justify further inquiry into Willis and Wade’s case. McAfee clarified that even the appearance of a conflict would prompt an evidentiary hearing and could result in Willis’s disqualification. The primary concern regarding the relationship isn’t the personal connection between Willis and Wade but rather the financial benefits Wade and his firm received after Willis appointed him as special prosecutor.
Another concern is the lack of experience between Wade and Willis, as Wade hasn’t ever prosecuted a felony case or worked on a case involving the RICO statute. Despite his lack of experience, Wade has billed American taxpayers more than $650,000 since January 2022. Although Wade’s lack of experience is concerning to many taxpayers, McAfee said that the evidentiary hearing won’t focus on the experience possessed by Wade or Willis.
According to McAfee, the primary issue is whether a relationship existed between the two parties, whether it was romantic or professional, and when it formed. Another issue is whether Wade received any personal benefit due to his affair with Willis. Willis admitted to having a “fling” with Wade but denied any wrongdoing under Georgia law. Georgia law stipulates that a court can only disqualify a district attorney if the conflict of interest directly harms a defendant.
At the time of this writing, the misconduct hearing was still ongoing, though a verdict is expected soon.
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