Judge Says Disqualification of DA Fani Willis 'Possible'

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Facts

• According to Georgia Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over former Pres. Donald Trump's election interference case, it's 'possible' Fulton County District Attorney (DA) Fani Willis could be disqualified from prosecuting the case.¹
• McAfee's statement comes after one of Trump's co-defendants, Mike Roman, alleged that Willis had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to be on the case.²
• McAfee said the court will have to discover 'whether that relationship was romantic or non-romantic in nature, when it formed, and whether it continues,' as well as the extent of any 'benefit' Willis gained from the relationship.³
• Roman's attorney has also argued that Wade's legal experience as a defense attorney was insufficient for the role he was hired, though McAfee ruled those allegations would not be part of the probe.⁴
• While Wills and Wade confirmed their relationship last week, they claimed it began after Wade was hired and that he has no financial ties to Willis. However, Roman's attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, claims the relationship formed before Wade's hiring.⁵
• Wade's $654K in compensation for his role in the case since 2022 has been called into question. The issue will be hashed out in court hearings beginning Thursday, with Wade's former law partner testifying first.⁶

Sources: ¹NBC, ²Washington Free Beacon, ³Huffington Post, ⁴Washington Examiner, ⁵Forbes and ⁶FOX News.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. Willis prosecuted the former president for political and personal benefit — offenses worthy of disqualification. She not only paid Wade hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to go on luxury vacations, but she failed to publicly disclose her personal financial benefit from it. Why would she hide her financial stake in Wade's hiring if she did nothing wrong?
• Democratic narrative, as provided by Slate. Whether Willis hired a romantic partner or not has no bearing on this case. She has also, under sworn testimony, stated that the costs of vacations she took with Wade were split evenly — which rules out her hiring him for personal financial benefit. This case is of national importance and must continue despite unfounded and bad-faith complaints from the pro-Trump camp.

Predictions