After an enforced divorce that left former special prosecutor Nathan Wade out in the cold, former President Donald Trump celebrated the development.
Wade’s resignation from the Fulton County, Georgia, prosecution of Trump and multiple co-defendants came after weeks of testimony indicating that Wade and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had a romantic relationship that some witnesses said began before she hired him.
“The Fani Willis lover, Mr. Nathan Wade Esq., has just resigned in disgrace, as per his and her reading of the Judge’s Order today,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
Nathan was the “Special,” in more ways than one, Prosecutor “engaged” by Fani (pronounced Fauni!) Willis, to persecute TRUMP for Crooked Joe Biden and his Department of Injustice, for purposes of Election Interference and living the life of the Rich & Famous,” Trump wrote.
Trump wanted the impact of the move to be clear to everyone.
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“This is the equivalent of Deranged Jack Smith getting “canned,” BIG STUFF, something which should happen in the not too distant future!!!” he wrote.
Trump and other defendants sought to have Willis dismissed on the grounds that her romantic relationship with Wade represented a conflict of interest and to have the indictment against them dismissed. Judge Scott McAfee ruled against those requests, but made it clear he did not approve of Willis and Wade’s conduct.
…It is unimaginable how any prosecutor with a modicum of ethical awareness could remain in the case after this damning opinion. Willis has consistently put her personal interests before those of her office. Judge McAfee just gave her an opportunity to rise to the occasion.…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) March 15, 2024
Should the Georgia state case against Trump be dropped?
“However, the established record now highlights a significant appearance of impropriety that infects the current structure of the prosecution team — an appearance that must be removed through the State’s selection of one of two options,” he wrote in his decision.
McAfee said the way Wade and Willis acted made a conflict of interest appear to be taking place.
“Even if the romantic relationship began after … Wade’s initial contract in November 2021, the District Attorney chose to continue supervising and paying Wade while maintaining such a relationship,” he said.
Wade got low marks from the judge for honesty.
“Wade’s patently unpersuasive explanation for the inaccurate interrogatories he submitted in his pending divorce indicates a willingness on his part to wrongly conceal his relationship with the District Attorney. As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed.”
McAfee said an average citizen “could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist.”
He gave Willis and Wade the option of either removing Wade or “The District Attorney may choose to step aside, along with the whole of her office, and refer the prosecution to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council for reassignment.”
…In some ways, it is a result that should please no one other than Donald Trump. The defense removed the lead special prosecutor while leaving Willis carrying more baggage than Amtrak.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) March 15, 2024
McAfee said a speech Willis gave in January that accused her critics of racist motives in questioning her hiring of Wade crossed a line, but not enough to disqualify her.
“The effect of this speech was to cast racial aspersions at an indicted Defendant’s decision to file this pretrial motion.”
“The Court cannot find that this speech crossed the line to the point where the Defendants have been denied the opportunity for a fundamentally fair trial, or that it requires the District Attorney’s disqualification. But it was still legally improper,” he wrote.
The resignation of Wade was a forgone conclusion. He did not have an alternative beyond a pointless appeal. The real question now is whether Willis will take the last opportunity to do the right thing and withdraw from the case… https://t.co/SJABoXy8qJ
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) March 15, 2024
Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney, said he was not done trying to dismiss the case, according to CBS.
“While respecting the court’s decision, we believe that the court did not afford appropriate significance to the prosecutorial misconduct of Willis and Wade, including the financial benefits, testifying untruthfully about when their personal relationship began, as well as Willis’ extrajudicial MLK ‘church speech,’ where she played the race card and falsely accused the defendants and their counsel of racism,” he said.
