Former President Donald Trump’s legal team on Monday filed a motion to remove and disbar Fani Willis, the embattled Fulton County district attorney in the Georgia election fraud case.
Trump’s lead attorney in the case, Steve Sadow, asked the court to immediately fire Willis. The charges come days after Special Counsel Nathan Wade ruled that she could remain in office as long as she stepped down following revelations about their romantic relationship.
Sadow argues in his motion that action does not go far enough.
“President Trump and the seven defendants jointly filed a motion asking the court to issue a certificate of immediate review of the order denying the dismissal of the case and the disqualification of Fulton County Attorney Willis,” Sadow said in a statement. said.
“The complaint states that although the court found that Ms. Willis’ conduct created the appearance of impropriety and created a lingering “smell of deception” in the case, it nevertheless declined to dismiss the case or disbar her. “I am pointing this out,” he added.
Along with President Trump, seven of the remaining 14 defendants joined in the motion: Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Harrison Floyd, and Kathleen Latham.
“The motion further notes that the court has found that Georgia case law lacks precedent governing the standard for prosecutor disqualification for forensic misconduct. For these reasons, among other things, “The court’s order is ripe for pretrial appellate review,” Sadow concluded.
The lawyers’ filing came after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee on Friday handed an ultimatum to Mr. Wade and Mr. Willis in a long-awaited ruling in the extortion case.
Wade resigned hours later, leaving Willis to remain in office.
However, according to court filings, defense attorneys argued that “Mr. Wade’s resignation is not sufficient to correct what the court found to be an unjust sentence.”
In addition to his now-terminated relationship with Wade, Sadow and his lawyers criticized Willis’ January speech at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, in which Willis said there was backlash against him and that Wade He claimed that the attack was racially motivated because both of them are black.
The defense said Mr Willis’ speech “crossed a line” and the evidence was clear that his client would be “fundamentally denied the opportunity for a fair trial” as long as Mr Willis was involved. he claimed.
What you need to know about District Attorney Fani Willis’ trial
- Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis is accused of misusing state and federal funds and having an “inappropriate” relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
- Willis acknowledged that he had a “personal relationship” with Wade, but said they didn’t become romantically involved until 2022 due to the lawsuit against former President Donald Trump.
- Trump co-defendant Michael Roman said Willis hired Wade to work on Trump’s case and paid him $654,000 in 2022.
- Mr. Trump and his co-defendants aim to disqualify Mr. Willis from the case and drop all charges centered on the state’s broad anti-company RICO law.
- The defense presented dozens of pings from Wade’s cell phone, which he left in a condo Willis was renting before 2022. A former friend of Willis’ who owned the condominium said he witnessed the two “hugging” and “kissing.” 2019.
- On March 15, a judge ruled that if Wade abstains, Willis can continue to serve and prosecute Trump and his co-defendants in the Georgia election interference case for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election. handed down the verdict.
“Whether District Attorney Willis and his office will be allowed to continue representing the State of Georgia in prosecuting the defendants in this case is of paramount importance to this case, and the Court of Appeals must consider these issues before trial. “The most important thing is to ensure that the individual has an opportunity to consider the matter,” the lawyers wrote.
In January, Mr. Sadow Another motion to remove Willis from the case.He said her comments at the church “wrongly and intentionally brought race into this incident.”
In Friday’s ruling, McAfee criticized Willis’ decision to speak at the church, saying her comments were “legally inappropriate” and that he may have to impose a gag order against her in the future. He said he could not.
“Providing this type of public comment creates dangerous territory for the district attorney to venture further into,” McAfee wrote.
Willis’ office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.
It remains unclear when McAfee will rule on the defense’s motion, which, if denied, could be appealed to the Georgia Supreme Court.
