{"id":27371,"date":"2024-03-17T12:38:32","date_gmt":"2024-03-17T16:38:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=27371"},"modified":"2024-03-17T12:38:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-17T16:38:32","slug":"fani-willis-ex-lover-resigns-from-trump-georgia-election-meddling-case-per-judges-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2024\/03\/17\/fani-willis-ex-lover-resigns-from-trump-georgia-election-meddling-case-per-judges-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Fani Willis ex-lover resigns from Trump Georgia election meddling case per judge’s order"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor in Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case, has resigned after a judge said his affair with District Attorney Fani Willis was inappropriate.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Trump and his co-defendants had tried to get Ms Willis disqualified, saying her relationship with Mr Wade – whom she hired – compromised the trial.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The judge disagreed but said it did create an “appearance of impropriety”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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He said either Ms Willis or Mr Wade should leave the case to resolve that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Wade’s resignation letter admitted no wrongdoing, and said his decision was “in the interest of democracy, in dedication to the American public, and to move this case forward as quickly as possible”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In a letter accepting his resignation, Ms Willis praised him for his “professionalism and dignity”, and for having endured threats since joining the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In his ruling earlier on Friday, Judge McAfee said Ms Willis had committed a “tremendous lapse in judgement” by engaging in an affair with Mr Wade, and also called her testimony at a hearing last month “unprofessional”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Trump and the 18 others are being prosecuted in Georgia for conspiracy to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, which they deny.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But they accused Ms Willis – who is leading the prosecution – of misconduct, for having a romantic relationship with Mr Wade, a lawyer she hired on the case.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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They alleged there was a financial conflict of interest, saying the couple used the money paid to Mr Wade for working on the case to fund luxury trips together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But Ms Willis and Mr Wade said there was no financial benefits and they split the cost of their holidays together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Judge Scott McAfee ruled there was not enough evidence to show a conflict of interest, but there was an “appearance of impropriety”, and there was a “need to make proportional efforts to cure it” before the case can continue.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The Georgia election interference case\u00a0is one of four criminal cases Mr Trump faces,<\/a>\u00a0that both sides of the political aisle are watching closely ahead of November’s presidential election.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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But some of the cases have faced delays. His New York case over alleged hush money payments to a porn star has been pushed to at least April.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In Florida, where Mr Trump is facing charges for his alleged mishandling of classified documents, both sides also say the trial will need to be postponed, although a judge denied Mr Trump’s motion to dismiss the case outright.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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