Trump Lawyers Put Final Nails in Fani Willis's Coffin
Mia Cathell
The misconduct hearings on efforts to oust Fulton County DA Fani Willis from the Trump RICO case have come to a close. Both sides delivered final arguments Friday, each arguing where the bar should be set for the judge's looming disqualification decision.
The defense is arguing that the undisclosed affair between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, the Democrat district attorney's subordinate, constitutes a conflict of interest because she tapped her longtime lover to helm the prosecution. Meanwhile, the couple claims the affair started after she hired him in November 2021, but witness testimony from a former Willis staffer, Wade's cellphone data depicting late-night shenanigans, and texts sent by Wade's ex-divorce attorney say otherwise.
Trump defense attorney Steve Sadow said an "appearance of impropriety" is "enough" to disqualify her under Georgia law.
Deputy DA Adam Abbate, who's defending Willis, asserted that appearance alone is insufficient and that an "actual" conflict of interest has to be established, citing legal precedent. Although the examples Abbate cited relied on appearance, he indicated it was secondary to the court finding "actual conflict" in each disqualification case. Abbate called the disqualification efforts "a desperate attempt to remove a prosecutor from a case for absolutely no reason, other than harassment and embarrassment."
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https://townhall.com/tipsheet/miacathell/2024/03/02/fani-willis-final-arguments-n2635951