The Georgia Court of Appeals has ruled to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her entire office from prosecuting the 2020 election interference case involving President-elect Donald Trump.
In a stunning decision issued on Thursday, a three-judge panel from the state’s appellate court’s second division denied a motion to dismiss the case altogether but approved the removal of Willis, 53, and her team. This group was responsible for leading the indictment against Trump, 78, and 18 other defendants last year.
In a 12-page opinion, Judge Trenton Brown noted that Trump and eight of his co-defendants had “numerous grounds” to appeal due to the lower court’s failure to impose an appropriate remedy after determining that Willis’ involvement in the case created a “significant appearance of impropriety.”
The decision highlighted Willis’ controversial hiring of her former lover, Nathan Wade, as a special prosecutor. Wade received substantial compensation, enjoyed extravagant trips, and billed the DA’s office heavily for his work on the Trump case.
“While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety is generally 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 appellate panel stated.
Wade’s tenure as special prosecutor ended in March after an Atlanta judge ruled that Willis could remain on the case only if Wade stepped aside. Both Wade and Willis publicly asserted that their relationship occurred before he was hired to lead the case.
However, witnesses came forward to challenge this narrative, casting doubt on their timeline. Notably, Wade’s separation from his wife of 26 years coincided with his appointment as special prosecutor in 2021, prompting further scrutiny of when their romance began.
Wade reportedly spent approximately $654,000 in earnings from his work on the racketeering case on luxury gifts and trips with Willis. This raised significant concerns about whether Willis personally benefited from taxpayer funds used to hire Wade.
The duo traveled together to destinations such as Miami and North Carolina, but Willis has claimed they alternated covering the expenses for these trips.
Meanwhile, Trump and several other defendants in the Georgia election tampering case pushed forward with efforts to have Willis removed from the case entirely.
“In granting President Trump an overwhelming mandate, the American People have demanded an immediate end to the political weaponization of our justice system and a swift dismissal of all the Witch Hunts against him. We look forward to uniting our country as President Trump Makes America Great Again,” Trump’s communication director Steve Cheung declared in a statement following the court’s decision.
In a separate development last month, special counsel Jack Smith dropped a four-count indictment related to 2020 election supervision against Trump. He also abandoned efforts to revive the 40-count Mar-a-Lago document case. Additionally, Trump’s legal team is seeking to overturn the 34-count “hush money” conviction brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump, who faced 10 charges in the Fulton County cases, has pleaded not guilty to all accusations.
While the appellate court’s ruling removes Willis from the case, Trump’s legal challenges are far from over.
“We cannot conclude that the record also supports the imposition of the extreme sanction of dismissal of the indictment,” the court wrote in its final determination.
{Matzav.com}
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