OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The Georgia judge presiding over the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis election fraud case against former President Donald Trump has ruled on whether or not to disqualify her from the case following a series of damning allegations of corruption and lying about a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor she hired.
Judge Scott McAfee ruled that Willis is not disqualified and will remain on the Trump case.
The judge decided that Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s once-romantic relationship created an appearance of conflict of interest in the racketeering case. As a result, the prosecutors were prohibited from overseeing the case going forward unless Willis or Wade resigned.
“[T]he established record now highlights a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team — an appearance that must be removed through the State’s selection of one of two options. The Defendants’ motions are therefore granted in part,” McAfee wrote in his 23-page ruling.
BREAKING: Judge rules Fani Willis can remain on Trump’s election case in Georgia pic.twitter.com/D1dESrPEqt
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) March 15, 2024
During a hearing earlier this month, McAfee was forced to call for a five-minute break after Willis lost her temper on the stand over a question about Wade.
In a January 8 motion, Michael Roman, a Trump co-defendant, claimed that Willis had improperly profited from appointing Wade by using the money he was paid for his appointment to take trips with him while they were dating. The hearing on Willis’ eligibility to continue leading the case against Trump included her testimony.
When asked if Wade had ever been to her house, Willis became defensive and began displaying documents as evidence that the accusations were untrue.
“So let’s be clear ’cause you lied in this … let me tell you which one you lied in … Right here. I think you lied right here,” Willis said, raising the documents.
The judge slammed the gavel and tried to stop her while an unknown male started talking over her.
“No, no, no, this is the truth,” she exclaimed. “It is a lie! It is a lie!”
The judge then announced a five-minute break in proceedings.
WATCH:
During the hearing, Robin Yeartie, a former close friend of Willis who had worked for the district attorney’s office, testified that Willis and Wade got to know each other at a 2019 conference for municipal court judges. Yeartie’s testimony runs counter to their representation in court documents that their relationship started in 2022, following Wade’s contract.
During her contentious testimony, Willis further disclosed that she kept sizable sums of money at home, which she utilized to pay Wade back for their opulent excursions.
“When you meet my father, he’s going to tell you as a woman, you should always have … at least six months in cash at your house, at all times,” Willis said.
Legal analyst Caroline Polisi flat-out declared on Thursday that new testimony refuting Willis’s claims regarding her relationship with a colleague was “game over for her.”
Polisi, who frequently appears on CNN and MSNBC, did not mince words when he discussed the Fulton County DA’s terrible day.
“Don’t let the legalese fool you,” she opened. “This is epic. This is monumental. If things are going in the direction we think, Fani Willis lied to the court, and it’s game over for her. She will be disqualified. If they had a relationship before when they represented the truth to the court, it’s a huge deal. I can’t overstate.”
Polisi added further context in a statement to Mediaite, saying “Willis will be disqualified, which means her entire office is disqualified, which means the case will have to be re-assigned and languish with the PAC of Georgia, effectively killing the case. Her credibility is completely shot.”
How this will impact the election fraud case Willis filed against the former president is still unknown.
Given the apparent discovery that Willis lied under oath regarding the timing of her affair with her deputy, Nathan Wade, it could imply, at the very least, that her time as the case’s lead attorney is over.
WATCH:
Legal analyst @CarolinePolisi: "This has been a BOMBSHELL… huge, huge issues here… it's about lying to the court, it's about potential financial gain on the part of Fani Willis… the issue is that her credibility is shot… it's a horrible, horrible look for her." pic.twitter.com/mOjtZMNgvS
— MAGA War Room (@MAGAIncWarRoom) February 15, 2024
Earlier this month, in a 122-page filing submitted by Roman’s attorneys, he claimed to have a witness whose testimony refutes claims made by Willis in court documents that her relationship with Wade began after she appointed of him as a special prosecutor in the investigation.
“Willis and Wade claim they did not have a personal, romantic relationship before Willis appointed Wade as a special prosecutor, but Terrence Bradley (‘Bradley’) will refute that claim,” Roman’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, said in the filing.
