Court will hear arguments that District Attorney Fani Willis is disqualified from prosecution by her inappropriate relationship with the special prosecutor.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Georgia Court of Appeals. The Court paused all proceedings until October 4 when it will hear oral arguments in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump.
It is unlikely that the case will move forward until after the November 5 election.
Trump and other defendants filed a motion last month calling on the appeals court to disqualify Willis because of her inappropriate relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Taxpayers spent approximately $653,880 on Wade’s prosecution before his resignation from the case. Lawyers for the defense argued that Wade’s removal “is insufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the Court has determined exists.”
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee initially ruled that Willis could remain on the case if Wade resigned.
Wade is accused in Cobb County divorce proceedings of having had an extramarital affair with Willis and using taxpayer funds for lavish vacations with the District Attorney. Willis denies these accusations, claiming that personal expenses were reimbursed to Wade using cash she kept in her home.
The contract awarded Wade an hourly rate higher than Georgia’s top racketeering expert John Floyd and significantly higher than other special prosecutors retained by the DA’s office. Wade has little to no recorded experience prosecuting RICO cases such as the one against Trump.
Willis won the Democrat nomination for reelection and will face Republican Christian Wise Smith on the ballot in November.
