A Georgia judge is set to hear arguments on Friday regarding whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) and her team should be removed from the 2020 election interference case involving former President Trump, as the investigation nears its conclusion.
Defense lawyers argue that Willis’s past romantic involvement with special prosecutor Nathan Wade undermines the comprehensive racketeering indictment against Trump and his associates, labeling it as “fatally defective.” They have petitioned Judge Scott McAfee to disqualify the prosecutors from the case.
In response, Willis’s office has vigorously defended her and Wade’s integrity, asserting that their previous relationship does not constitute a conflict of interest warranting disqualification.
The courtroom drama follows weeks of intense legal filings and sensational hearings where defense attorneys sought to demonstrate that Willis had benefited financially from Wade’s employment with her office. Once arguments are presented, McAfee faces the weighty decision of either allowing the district attorney’s office to proceed with prosecuting Trump or throwing the case into uncertainty by removing them from it.
McAfee has previously indicated that if evidence suggests an “actual conflict of interest or the appearance of one,” it could lead to disqualification of Willis and Wade.
The pivotal factor in the judge’s decision may revolve around the timeline of the romantic relationship, which has been a contentious issue throughout the investigation. Willis and Wade contend that they began dating in early 2022 and ended their relationship in the summer of 2023, all of which occurred after Wade’s employment began in November 2021. However, defense attorneys argue that the romantic involvement started earlier, after the 2019 municipal conference where the two initially met.
During a recent evidentiary hearing, a former friend of Willis testified that it was “undoubtedly” after the conference when Willis and Wade began dating, claiming to have witnessed them “hugging” and “kissing” before Wade was hired.
Text messages exchanged with Ashleigh Merchant, the defense attorney who initiated the disqualification motion in January, further support the claim that the relationship started before Wade’s employment. However, Wade’s ex-law partner, Terrence Bradley, testified that his earlier statements were mere “speculation,” casting doubt on their accuracy.
Willis and Wade both testified earlier this month about their relationship during a hearing, adding further complexity to the already contentious legal battle.
