(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – In a win for Donald Trump against Democrat prosecutors, the Georgia Court of Appeals has consented to review an appeal from Trump and other defendants concerning the 2020 election racketeering case brought by Democrat Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The appeal challenges the decision by the trial judge that permitted Willis to continue overseeing the case in spite of her unethical actions.
This permission was granted despite revelations of her romantic involvement with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor at the time, National Review notes in a report.
In March, Judge Scott McAfee of the Fulton County Superior Court ruled that Willis could remain on the case provided that her former romantic partner, then-special prosecutor Nathan Wade, resigned.
Defense attorneys have contested this decision, asserting that Willis’s involvement presents an unresolvable conflict of interest and her actions amount to prosecutorial misconduct.
The Georgia Court of Appeals swiftly issued an order on Wednesday, endorsing the defense’s request to appeal.
This appellate court’s decision is likely to cause additional delays in the proceedings against Trump and his numerous co-defendants.
“The GA Court of Appeals has GRANTED President Trump’s Application for Interlocutory Appeal from the trial court’s order refusing to disqualify Fulton County DA Fani Willis!!!” Trump’s lawyer, Steve Sadow, announced on X.
Wade resigned in March soon after Judge McAfee’s ruling, which condemned Willis for what he termed a “tremendous lapse in judgement.”
In his decision, McAfee noted Wade’s inaccurate divorce filings, interpreting them as an attempt to conceal his relationship with the District Attorney, which left “an odor of mendacity remains” hanging over the case.
The disclosure of the romantic relationship between Wade and Willis cast significant doubt on the legal integrity of the case earlier this year.
In January, Ashleigh Merchant, representing former Trump aide and co-defendant Michael Roman, filed a motion to disqualify Willis, accusing her of nepotism by employing her lover.
Merchant claimed that during Wade’s tenure as special prosecutor, Willis compensated him with $700,000, and he in return financed extravagant vacations during their relationship.
In a court document filed in February, Willis acknowledged her romantic relationship with Wade but dismissed the accusations against her as “meritless.”
In hearings that took place in February, Willis and Wade testified that they shared the vacation expenses equally, and Willis reimbursed Wade in cash.
Both parties asserted that their relationship commenced in 2022 following Wade’s hiring.
However, the defense contested their testimony, presenting cell phone records that suggested frequent communications between Willis and Wade throughout 2021, including a potential late-night visit by Wade to Willis’s residence in late 2021.
This delay in Trump’s racketeering trial occurred just one day after an indefinite postponement of his classified documents case in Florida. Meanwhile, Trump’s case involving election interference in Washington, D.C., is also on hold pending a Supreme Court decision on his claim of presidential immunity.
Currently, Trump’s criminal trial concerning hush-money payments in Manhattan, New York, is ongoing. This may be the only case involving Trump that reaches trial before the 2024 election, amidst ongoing challenges faced by Willis and Special Counsel Jack Smith.
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