Judge Scott McAfee has ruled in Georgia that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office can proceed with prosecuting Donald Trump and his co-defendants, despite a “Hail Mary” attempt by the defense to disqualify them. However, McAfee emphasized that this legal maneuver had no chance of succeeding.
In his Friday ruling, McAfee acknowledged that the defense failed to prove that Willis had an actual conflict of interest due to her personal relationship with lead prosecutor Nathan Wade. Nevertheless, he pointed out a “significant appearance of impropriety” within the prosecution team that needed addressing.
McAfee outlined two options to remedy this perceived issue: either Willis and her office step aside entirely, allowing the case to be reassigned to another prosecutor, or for Wade to withdraw from the case.
The defendants in the election-related racketeering case against Trump argued that Willis and her office should be disqualified due to a conflict of interest arising from her relationship with Wade. However, despite dramatic hearings and allegations of impropriety, McAfee concluded that there was no evidence that Willis’ financial gain from her relationship influenced the decision to prosecute.
While McAfee criticized Willis for her “tremendous lapse in judgment” and unprofessional behavior during the hearings, he maintained that Georgia law did not permit disqualification based solely on poor choices. Nevertheless, he expressed concerns about the integrity of the prosecution team’s testimony and highlighted the need to address any appearance of impropriety.
Additionally, McAfee criticized a speech by Willis that he felt cast racial aspersions on a defendant but ultimately concluded that it did not warrant her disqualification.
Despite the allegations, the charges against Trump and his co-defendants remained unchanged. However, the attempt to disqualify Willis’ office added further delay and uncertainty to the prosecution process.