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Fani Willis can STAY on Trump election case only if she cuts ties with 'lover' prosecutor Nathan Wade as judge slams her for 'tremendous lapse in judgment' and acting in 'unprofessional manner'
Fani Willis,
In his 23-page ruling Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee slammed Willis for a 'tremendous lapse in judgment' and acting in an 'unprofessional manner' when she gave evidence in his court. However, he said not enough evidence had been shown to establish her romantic relationship with Wade amounted to an 'actual conflict of interest' which would lead to her removal. Trump's lawyers slammed the decision to let Willis stay on the case and said they would pursue 'all legal options' in response. Judge McAfee ruled Willis should not be disqualified from the case she has brought against Donald Trump and 18 codefendants. But the judge said: 'This finding is by no means an indication that the Court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the District Attorney’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing.' He added that 'an odor of mendacity remains' in the case but the court was not 'under an obligation to ferret out every instance of potential dishonesty from each witness.' McAfee had self-imposed a deadline of this week to rule after holding bombshell hearings featuring testimony by Willis herself about her 'romantic' relationship with Wade. At issue in his decision was when the affair between the two prosecutors began, and whether it posed an actual conflict of interest or the appearance of one. In his ruling Judge McAfee said: 'The prosecution of this case cannot proceed until the State selects one of two options. 'The District Attorney may choose to step aside, along with the whole of her office. 'Alternatively, Wade can withdraw, allowing the District Attorney, the Defendants, and the public to move forward without his presence or remuneration distracting from and potentially compromising the merits of this case.' Trump and the other defendants are charged with a racketeering conspiracy to overturn the state of Georgia's election results in 2020 after it voted for Joe Biden. The ruling on whether Willis should be disqualified has high-stakes implications for Trump and his codefendants as well as the nation. A disqualification of Willis would throw off the schedule for the Georgia case at a time when some of Trump's other trials are in peril. Judge McAfee's ruling comes shortly after he dismissed three charges against Trump from the sprawling racketeering indictment brought by Willis and her prosecutors' office. McAfee wrote Wednesday in an order that six of the charges in the indictment must be quashed. But the order leaves intact many other charges in the indictment and the judge wrote that prosecutors could seek a new indictment on the charges he dismissed. The six charges in question have to do with allegedly soliciting elected officials to violate their oaths of office. That includes two charges related to Trump's infamous phone call to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, on Jan. 2, 2021 asking him to 'find' 11,780 votes. Related: Fani Willis: 2024-03-14 Georgia Gov. Kemp Signs Bill Targeting 'Rogue' Prosecutors Amid Fani Willis Scrutiny Fani Willis: 2024-03-14 CNN's Honig: Trump Charges Dropped in GA Case 'Embarrassing' Screwup For Fani Willis Fani Willis: 2024-03-13 'Judge dismisses some charges against Trump in the Georgia election interference case Posted by: Skidmark 2024-03-15 |
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