UPDATED: 8:34 A.M.
(Reuters) -The Georgia judge overseeing Donald Trump’s trial on charges of trying to overturn his election defeat in the state said that lead prosecutor Fani Willis can remain on the case, so long as she removes a deputy she had a personal relationship with.
Judge Scott McAfee’s ruling is a blow to the former U.S. president, who is also the Republican candidate to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump has sought to delay trials in the four criminal cases he faces until November’s election.
McAfee’s decision caps a tumultuous two months for Fulton County District Attorney Willis, whose romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she appointed to lead the case, was disclosed in a January court filing by a Trump co-defendant.
Defense lawyers said the relationship posed a conflict of interest and improperly enriched Willis and Wade, who vacationed together while Wade was drawing a government salary. McAfee said he found no conflict of interest but told Willis to avoid the “appearance of impropriety.”
“The Court finds that the Defendants failed to meet their burden of proving that the District Attorney acquired an actual conflict of interest in this case through her personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor,” McAfee wrote. “However, the established record now highlights a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team.”
Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases against him. He is accused in the Georgia case of illegally pressuring state officials to overturn his loss to Biden there in the 2020 election.
Separately, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review Trump’s bid for presidential immunity in a federal election interference case in Washington, which could delay that trial until after the election.
Meanwhile, the judge in Trump’s upcoming trial in New York on charges related to hush-money payments to a porn star during his 2016 campaign is weighing postponing the March 25 scheduled trial start after federal prosecutors turned over a mountain of new evidence.
Willis and Wade testified that the relationship did not begin until after Wade was hired. Prosecutors argued the affair was irrelevant because it did not harm the defendants.
Defense lawyers accused the prosecutors of lying to the court, saying the relationship began before Wade was hired. In court papers filed on Feb. 23, Trump’s attorney cited location data from Wade’s cellphone suggesting he made numerous late-night visits to Willis’ home before she appointed him.
Trump is also under indictment in Florida over his handling of classified documents upon leaving office. The judge overseeing that case is weighing Trump’s bid to move his May 20 trial date.
(Reporting by Jack Queen and Andrew Goudsward; editing by Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis and Howard Goller)
(Reuters) -A judge in Georgia overseeing Donald Trump’s election interference case on Friday declined to remove the prosecutor who brought the charges over an undisclosed relationship she had with a top deputy.
The ruling by Judge Scott McAfee is a blow to the former U.S. president and Republican candidate to challenge Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump has sought to delay trials in the four criminal cases he faces until after the November election.
McAfee’s decision caps a tumultuous two months for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, whose relationship with the special prosecutor she appointed to lead the case was revealed in a January court filing by a Trump co-defendant.
Defense lawyers said the relationship posed a conflict of interest and improperly enriched Willis and Wade, who vacationed together while Wade was drawing a government salary. McAfree said he found no conflict of interest but told Willis to avoid the “appearance of impropriety.”
Trump has pleaded not guilty in all the cases against him. He is accused in the Georgia case of illegally pressuring state officials to overturn his loss to Joe Biden there in the 2020 election.
The ruling comes after the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review Trump’s bid for presidential immunity in his Washington election interference case, which could delay that trial until after the election.
(Reporting by Jack Queen; editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)
Comments