OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will find out in the next two weeks if she will be disqualified from the Trump-Georgia election interference case.
This announcement came after Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee heard closing arguments from several lawyers involved in the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and others.
“The decision will come down to whether the judge believes Willis had a financial incentive to hire special prosecutor Nathan Wade for the case. Willis and Wade admitted to a romantic relationship, but the timeframe of that relationship was the crux of the argument about whether the relationship was improper,” AOL reported.
There have been accusations that Willis, who is leading one of the four criminal cases against former President Trump, had an affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Critics argue that this relationship is a conflict of interest and could compromise the case. While Willis’ office denies any financial or professional impropriety, some believe that the relationship undermines public confidence in the prosecution.
Recent court proceedings have focused on the personal lives of the prosecutors as well as the claims of election meddling. The defense has accused Willis and Wade of lying about the timeline of their relationship, which could convey a wrong message if they continue to be involved in the case.
Legal experts have suggested that Willis herself may face legal trouble due to her testimony about the start date of her relationship with Wade. She claimed under oath that they only started dating after Trump’s indictment, but some witnesses and phone records indicate otherwise. This perjury could lead to serious repercussions for Willis, who could be in as much trouble as Trump and his co-defendants in the RICO case related to the 2020 election.
Several legal experts spoke to Newsweek and expressed concerns about Willis’ testimony.
Willis, a Democrat, may face charges of perjury from Georgia Attorney General Christopher Carr, according to Eric Anderson, an attorney at Early Sullivan Wright Gizer & McRae in Los Angeles, California.
“Given the political climate, I would not be completely surprised if the attorney general, a Republican, acts. Attorney General Carr has shown a willingness to take on elected officials in criminal proceedings before,” Anderson said.
“When it comes to politics, anything is possible. Unless the alleged perjury is about a fact material to the matter at hand, perjury charges are not likely for a regular witness,” Anderson added.
Stephen Gillers, a law professor at New York University, told Newsweek that Trump’s lawyers want “to shift the question before the court from disqualification to perjury.”
“The judge should focus on the real disqualification question here. Is there any basis to find that Willis chose to pursue the case to generate income for Wade, which he would then use to take her on luxury trips?” Gillers added.
“The answer is no. Willis started her investigation in February 2021 and did not hire Wade, who was not her first choice, until nine months later. She got an indictment and four guilty pleas,” Gillers said.
“Her successes so far rebut any suggestion that she brought or continued the case to generate fees for Wade. To the contrary, her successes so far tell us she did so because in fact it is a meritorious case,” Gillers added.
One law professor at Syracuse University in New York, Greg Germain, also told Newsweek that there may be charges of perjury against the district attorney.
“Willis could certainly be charged with perjury if a prosecutor can prove that Willis knowingly lied under oath. The matter would have to be referred to a prosecutor, presumably from another DA office or state or federal prosecutor, to bring the charges. It is not common for people to be charged with perjury for lying under oath about a personal relationship, but it certainly has happened in high-profile cases like Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski. So yes, a perjury prosecution is possible,” Germain said.
