How Fani Willis’ accusations could derail Trump’s Georgia lawsuit

Willis faces allegations of inappropriate relationship

One of Mr. Trump’s co-defendants, Mike Roman, who worked for Trump’s 2020 campaign and has researched Republican opponents, has been involved in a romantic relationship as the leader of the team Mr. Willis assembled to prosecute Mr. Trump. He accused Mr. Willis of hiring a lawyer with whom he had an affair. Roman also claimed that Willis benefited financially from prosecuting Trump and took personal trips with Trump at his own expense. He has yet to provide evidence to support his suspicions.

Roman is responsible for helping launch a plan to create a replacement candidate for Trump-supporting electors in Georgia. But he asked the judge overseeing the case to strip Willis of his job and drop the charges. Trump and another co-defendant also joined Roman’s motion. At the time, Trump’s lawyers also accused Willis of making comments outside the courtroom that could influence future jurors.

Mr. Roman did not provide any evidence to support his claims. But records later released as part of divorce filings between lead prosecutor Nathan Wade and his estranged wife show that Wade paid for his and Willis’ plane tickets twice. There was found.

• Roman claims in his filing that Willis and Wade have been seen romantically walking around Atlanta by people in the know, and that they even went on a cruise together.
• Neither Willis nor Wade deny the charges, and a spokeswoman said they would respond in court. Willis slammed his critics in his recent speech, in which he accused them of playing her “race card” in attacking her and Wade, who are Black. She also defended Wade’s qualifications without naming him, and she repeatedly described herself as “flawed” and “incomplete.”
• Credit card statements revealed in Wade’s divorce filing with his estranged wife show that Wade purchased plane tickets for himself and Willis to travel to San Francisco and Aruba. It’s unclear whether Willis reimbursed Wade for his ticket.
• The allegations raise questions about Mr. Wade’s qualifications for the job. Wade didn’t have much experience as a prosecutor, but And Willis said he was actually looking for a prominent lawyer to take on the job before hiring Wade. He worked in the field of family law and was also a municipal judge.Since hiring him as the lead prosecutor in the Trump case. More than two years ago, Mr. Willis’ firm paid his law firm more than $653,000.

When Wade testified in his divorce case, we probably expected to learn more about his finances and the allegations. Relationship with Willis. However, he settled the divorce on the eve of the scheduled hearing. Mr. Willis and Mr. Wade may have to testify at a Feb. 15 hearing on whether to disqualify them from the case and drop the charges against Mr. Roman.

The biggest problem may be public perception of this incident.

If the accusations are true, it’s unclear whether Willis or Wade broke any laws or policies.but Willis’ judgment and integrity Robert James, a former district attorney in Georgia, said the current issue could influence future jurors.

Willis campaigned on his integrity and ethics, telling voters he would not have romantic relationships with subordinates.

“I would never choose to date people who work for me. Let me just say this,” she said in 2020.

Trump and his allies have used all of this to delegitimize the charges against him, both in Georgia and elsewhere. “Cruises, wineries, shopping, and so much more were paid for with money they earned from persecuting me and other honorable American patriots!” President Trump said on social media.

“This is a gift to us,” a Trump adviser told the Washington Post.

None of this changes the facts of the case against Trump.

Trump is accused of leading a far-reaching plot to overturn his defeat in Georgia and is being charged under the state’s anti-extortion law, which was originally used to bring down mob bosses.

The charges against Trump are extensive and well-documented, and legal experts say Trump will likely face prison time if convicted in the case. Four of his co-defendants, three of whom are former lawyers who worked on his campaign, have pleaded guilty.

Some legal experts worry that the charges against Willis will distract from the serious charges facing Trump.

But it’s still possible that Trump’s lawsuit will stall.

What happens next will depend on the judge overseeing the entire Trump case. Mr. Willis has until Friday to file his own response to the allegations. The judge has scheduled a hearing on the case for February 15th. At that time, Mr. Willis’s accusers may be able to present the evidence they have. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee could remove Willis from the case or continue the case without any changes.

If Willis is effectively removed from the case, the state Legislature, which oversees the prosecution, could appoint someone else. It may take some time. A new prosecutor may then look at the case with fresh eyes and drop some or all of the charges. All of this will likely delay the start of Trump’s trial. No trial date has been set at this time, and it is possible that the trial will not begin before the presidential election in November.

Republicans in the Georgia Senate are also moving to investigate whether Willis improperly benefited from state funds. Officials in the county where all this is happening have also indicated they want to investigate. And the Georgia Ethics Commission, where Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a complaint against Willis and Wade, could also launch an investigation.