Scandal-plagued Georgia district attorney Fani Willis said President-elect Trump's decision to immunize her from election interference lawsuits would “impact” the state's case law if not overturned.
Willis, Fulton County's top prosecutor, ruled last month against continuing to prosecute Trump because his affair with ousted chief prosecutor Nathan Wade “created a grossly unwarranted impression.” They are asking the Peach State Supreme Court to overturn it. ”
But on Thursday, Willis, 53, fired back, arguing that the intermediate appellate court “went too far in all directions” in removing her from the case, court documents show.
He said the decision “created a new standard” and “ignored decades of precedent” by finding that the mere appearance of impropriety was sufficient reason to dismiss a case. Ta.
Willis said it is essential for the high court to intervene “so that the majority opinion does not linger and influence the overall body of Georgia case law.”
Trial Judge Scott McAfee earlier this year cited prosecutors for alleged conflicts of interest by Trump, 78, and co-defendants stemming from Willis and Wade's absconding during prosecution. A request for the department to be expelled from the case was rejected.
Mr. Trump claimed that Mr. Willis had profited by appointing his girlfriend, Mr. Wade, to the high-paying post of special counsel and providing her with exotic vacations. But Willis and Wade argued at the hearing that they roughly split the cost of the trip and that their romance only began after Wade began the lawsuit. They also claimed that they were no longer together.
McAfee allowed Willis to continue overseeing the case, but ruled that Wade must resign to eliminate any signs of wrongdoing.
On Dec. 19, the Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that Trump had “numerous reasons” to appeal McAfee's decision and that Willis' disbarment was the only way to remove the scandal from the case. The court ruled in favor of Trump.
“While we generally recognize that indicators of misconduct alone are not sufficient to support disqualification, this is a rare case in which disqualification is required and public confidence in the integrity of these procedures is significant. “No other remedy is sufficient to restore the…” the judgment states.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr asked the state's Supreme Court to reject Willis' efforts to fight back against Trump, calling it part of a “legal stunt” against Trump and the right. did.
On Friday, President Trump appeared on video and was sentenced to no prison terms in the Manhattan case in which he was convicted of “hush money” for offering a woman a payoff in the run-up to the 2016 election.
Because sitting presidents enjoy absolute immunity, two federal criminal cases against Trump were dropped after his reelection.
Mr. Trump's lawyer declined to comment.
