Fans Willis, the Atlanta District Attorney in charge of prosecuting Donald Trump, has a choice to make in regard to her case. Judge McAfee said that she could either step down from the case, or let her ex-boyfriend special prosecutor go.
McAfee did not find that her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor impacted her work, but that the appearance of a conflict of interest was enough to break up the team. In addition, McAfee described Willis as having “poor judgement.” The NY Times reports:
Judge McAfee said there was not enough proof to find that Ms. Willis’s “personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor” created “an actual conflict of interest.”
He added that “Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices — even repeatedly — and it is the trial court’s duty to confine itself to the relevant issues and applicable law properly brought before it.”
The Trump legal team was not fully pleased with the result, having hoped to get Willis’ entire office disqualified. This would have likely moved the case directly under the Georgia Attorney-General, whose staffing is not as heavily Democrat. Fox News continues:
“While we believe the court should have disqualified Willis’ office entirely, this opinion is a vindication that everything put forth by the defense was true, accurate and relevant to the issues surrounding our client’s right to a fair trial. The judge clearly agreed with the defense that the actions of Willis are a result of her poor judgment and that there is a risk to the future of this case if she doesn’t quickly work to cure her conflict,” Merchant said in a statement.
“While we do not agree that the courts suggested cure is adequate in response to the egregious conduct by the district attorney, we look forward to the district attorney’s response to the demands by the court. We will continue to fight for our client,” she added.
While the case will continue, this major personnel change will likely delay the trial even more, potentially until after the election. The hint of impropriety could also be enough for a jury not to find Trump guilty, as it will require unanimity for conviction.
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