Georgia Appeals Court Removes DA Fani Willis From Trump Case
A Georgia appeals court has disqualified Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting President-elect Donald Trump in his election interference case.
While the court stopped short of dismissing Trump’s indictment, it ruled that Willis and her assistant DAs now have “no authority to proceed,” according to a Fox News report.
This marks another setback for Willis, who faced a legal challenge in September when a Georgia judge ruled against her in an open records lawsuit. Fulton County Judge Rachel Krause denied a request to dismiss the lawsuit targeting Willis and her office but allowed Willis to remain involved in her official capacity as district attorney. However, the judge exempted Willis from being personally named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is linked to the Fulton County election interference investigation and involves attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents co-defendant Michael Roman. Merchant accused Willis’ office of failing to comply with the Georgia Open Records Act, which requires timely provision of documents. Merchant alleged that the district attorney was concealing records tied to a media monitoring firm purportedly funded by taxpayer money.
In response, Judge Krause scheduled an evidentiary hearing to assess the requested documents. Additionally, attorneys plan to subpoena individuals handling open records requests in Willis’ office for further evidence, according to 11Alive.
Merchant commented earlier, “The judge clearly agreed with the defense that the actions of Willis are a result of her poor judgment.”
Willis’ broad racketeering case against Trump has been on pause since June while the Georgia Court of Appeals considers Trump’s efforts to disqualify her. In March, Trump and eight co-defendants sought appellate review over claims of prosecutorial misconduct related to Willis’ past association with former special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee previously ruled that Willis could continue the case as long as Wade stepped down, which he did. Trump’s appeal aims to overturn this decision before the trial begins. The appeals court is expected to hear arguments on the matter in December, after the November 5 presidential election.
Since obtaining a grand jury indictment against Trump and 18 others last August, Willis has faced multiple investigations by state and federal lawmakers. Allegations include misusing taxpayer funds and her prior relationship with Wade.
Trump and his 13 remaining co-defendants have pleaded not guilty to felony charges of violating Georgia’s anti-racketeering law, allegedly to overturn the 2020 election results, according to The Post.
Willis’ office is also dealing with additional controversy. In June, court proceedings revealed text messages indicating inappropriate behavior by an investigator working for the DA’s office. The investigator allegedly made advances on a witness during a RICO trial involving rapper Young Thug and others.
During cross-examination of a witness known as A. Bennett, her lawyer revealed messages from the investigator, identified as “Hamilton,” which included personal and unprofessional remarks. One text read, “Hit me up if you’re bored later. We’re not gonna talk shop.” Bennett confirmed the inappropriate communication, adding that Hamilton had called her “mama” multiple times.
Another message from Hamilton stated, “Good morning Mama. Hope you slept well. Again don’t come at 1:30. I have a feeling the defense will keep this same witness from yesterday all day again today. I’ll give you an update at 3pm. You will most likely go up tomorrow morning. I’ll talk 2 u soon.” Bennett’s testimony has raised further questions about professionalism within the DA’s office.