March 15 (UPI) — Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled Friday that Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis can remain on the election subversion racketeering case against Donald Trump and co-defendants.
But special prosecutor Nathan Wade must be removed from the prosecuting team in order for Willis and the district attorney’s office to continue with the prosecution.
The motion to remove Willis was brought to the court in January by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman and his attorney Ashleigh Merchant. The defense uncovered a romantic relationship between Willis and Wade and alleged a conflict of interest, claiming the couple benefited financially from the prosecution.
Trump, who won enough delegates to clinch the Republican nomination for president on Tuesday, has pleaded not guilty.
He and 19 co-defendants were charged in a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The charges allege that Trump and others undertook a “fake electors” scheme, pressured Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” votes and tampered with election systems.
Five co-defendants have reached plea agreements to avoid trial.
Willis and Wade testified during a series of hearings on the matter. Merchant and attorneys for other defendants, including Trump’s attorney Steven Sadow, claimed that Willis and Wade lied about when their relationship started. They also called into question several trips the pair had taken together, alleging that improperly undisclosed gifts had been exchanged.
Willis and Wade said in separate testimonies that their relationship began in the spring of 2022 around March. The defense claimed that it began months earlier, around or before November 2021.
Wade’s former law partner and divorce attorney Terrence Bradley testified as the star witness for the defense. However, Bradley did not confirm that Willis and Wade’s relationship started before they said it did.
Bradley told Merchant in a text message that he believed the relationship had begun earlier. On the stand he said he was merely speculating and did not have any firsthand information.
Willis testified that Wade was not her first choice for the special prosecutor role. She met with former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes and asked him to lead the case. He turned her down, citing the likely threats and harassment he would experience.
