Fani Willis Removed From Trump Case After Dating Prosecutor


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A Georgia appeals court ruled Thursday that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis must be removed from prosecuting the case against President-Elect Donald Trump.

The court determined that Judge Scott McAfee’s previous ruling, which allowed Willis to continue prosecuting the case if special prosecutor Nathan Wade stepped down, was insufficient to address the concerns about impropriety.

“After carefully considering the trial court’s findings in its order, we conclude that it erred by failing to disqualify DA Willis and her office,” the Georgia Court of Appeals declared. “The remedy crafted by the trial court to prevent an ongoing appearance of impropriety did nothing to address the appearance of impropriety that existed at times when DA Willis was exercising her broad pretrial discretion about who to prosecute and what charges to bring.”

The ruling follows a series of evidentiary hearings in March where Judge McAfee found that Willis’ personal relationship with Wade, whom she appointed as special prosecutor, had created a “significant appearance of impropriety.”

“While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings,” the appeals court stated in Thursday’s decision.

The controversy began in January when Trump co-defendant Michael Roman filed a motion revealing Willis’ relationship with Wade. Roman’s motion claimed that Willis received personal benefits from the arrangement, alleging that Wade used his earnings from the position to take her on vacations.

This development continues to unfold as new details emerge.

 

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