{"id":2321929,"date":"2024-08-09T12:31:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-09T16:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/willis-asks-appeals-court-to-keep-her-on-trump-rico-case-despite-ethics-complaint-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-09T12:33:18","modified_gmt":"2024-08-09T16:33:18","slug":"willis-asks-appeals-court-to-keep-her-on-trump-rico-case-despite-ethics-complaint-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/willis-asks-appeals-court-to-keep-her-on-trump-rico-case-despite-ethics-complaint-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Willis asks appeals court to keep her on Trump RICO case despite ethics complaint &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fwillis-asks-appeals-court-to-keep-her-on-trump-rico-case-despite-ethics-complaint-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2321929&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis\u200b is pushing forward with her investigation into former President Donald Trump&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trump-mug-shot-released-after-surrender-in-fulton-county\/\" title=\"Donald Trump&#039;s mug shot released following surrender in Fulton County.\">alleged 2020 \u200celection interference<\/a> \u200cdespite an ongoing appeal concerning her potential disqualification from \u200bthe case due to an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/they-dont-want-the-truth-to-come-out-senate-democrats-file-ethics-complaint-against-senators-cruz-and-hawley-for-challenging-election-fraud\/\" title=\"They Don\u2019t Want the Truth to Come Out: Senate Democrats File Ethics Complaint Against Senators Cruz and Hawley for Challenging Election Fraud\">ethics complaint<\/a>. The Georgia Court of Appeals is reviewing a ruling by Judge\u2064 Scott McAfee related to a romantic relationship between Willis and a former prosecutor, Nathan \u200cWade, which\u2062 raised concerns about a conflict of interest. <\/p>\n<p>Willis argues that McAfee&#8217;s\u200c decision\u2014that while the relationship suggested\u2064 an\u200d &#8220;appearance\u200d of impropriety,&#8221; it did \u200bnot amount to a conflict\u200d of interest\u2014should stand. The case has been on hold \u2062since May. The defense\u200b claims that the relationship between Willis and \u2064Wade led to\u200c improper financial benefits, warranting her disqualification. However,\u200c they have not effectively justified their claims in court according to Willis&#8217;s team.<\/p>\n<p>As the case \u2064proceeds, both Willis and \u200cWade have offered conflicting statements regarding the \u200btimeline of their relationship&#8217;s conclusion. Willis\u200d has defended her conduct publicly, challenging \u200bperceived racial biases against her \u200badministration compared to her predecessors.\u200c Meanwhile, Trump&#8217;s attorney has \u200dcriticized Willis for alleged misconduct and for invoking race in her defense. The outcome of the appeals may shape the trajectory of this \u2063high-profile\u200d case as the legal battle over ethical \u200cstandards\u200c unfolds.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Willis asks appeals court to keep her on Trump RICO case despite ethics complaint<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1726559\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Fulton Country District Attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fani-willis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Fani Willis<\/a> wants to move forward with her 2020 election interference case against former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> while a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/georgia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Georgia<\/a> appeals court grapples over whether she should be disqualified as the lead prosecutor.<\/p>\n<p>The racketeering case has been on hold since May, when the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to review Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee&rsquo;s ruling over an alleged conflict of interest between Willis and a former top prosecutor on the case, Nathan Wade. Willis told the appellate court this week that McAfee&rsquo;s order allowing her to remain should not be second-guessed and that the standard for disqualification posited by the defense is a tall bar to clear.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nathan Wade, right, defended his workplace relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, left. (AP Photos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Having failed to adequately support their chosen theories or persuade the trial court on their central point, the Appellants still received the boon of the withdrawal of a special prosecutor,&rdquo; Willis&rsquo;s team <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/757565835\/8-5-2024-Fulton-DAs-Office-Brief-of-Appellee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>wrote<\/a> in a 96-page brief Monday.<\/p>\n<p>McAfee&rsquo;s ruling pertained to a complaint over the romantic relationship between Willis and Wade, whom she had appointed to assist with the Trump case. A co-defendant of Trump alerted McAfee in January to an alleged &ldquo;improper&rdquo; relationship the pair had forged in March 2022. This March, McAfee stopped short of ordering Willis to step down from the case but said either she or Wade had to resign for the case to move forward.<\/p>\n<p>Trump&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/aaron-donalds-attorney-claims-the-rams-star-was-trying-to-protect-a-victim-in-the-altercation\/\" title=\"Aaron Donald\u2019s Attorney Claims The Rams Star Was Trying To Protect A Victim In The Altercation\">defense attorney claimed<\/a> that the relationship led to improper financial gains for Wade and Willis, creating a conflict of interest that warranted disqualification of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/van-orden-accuses-rnc-protester-of-assault-in-political-violence-incident-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Van Orden accuses RNC protester of assault in political violence incident - Washington Examiner\">district attorney&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s office. Wade and Willis denied any wrongdoing in court, while both have offered conflicting responses about when their relationship ended. Willis has said the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5atlanta.com\/news\/timeline-fani-willis-nathan-wade-relationship\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>relationship ended<\/a> sometime between June and August of 2023, and Wade believes it ended sometime between February and April last year.<\/p>\n<p>Willis, an elected Democrat, has adamantly defended her conduct in public, including in a speech she gave on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend at Big Bethel AME Church.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;How come, God, the same Black man I hired was acceptable when a Republican in another county hired him and paid him twice the rate?&rdquo; she asked to a crowd at the church. &ldquo;Why is the white male Republican&rsquo;s judgment good enough, but the Black female Democrat&rsquo;s not?&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a statement posted to X, Trump attorney Steve Sadow argued Thursday evening that Willis&rsquo;s office fails to explain &ldquo;why DA Willis engaged in the misconduct,&rdquo; adding that she &ldquo;deliberately plays the race card whenever she can.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As lead counsel for President Trump, I told Law360 Pulse we disagree with all of the state&#8217;s arguments. &#8220;In its 90-plus page brief, not once does the prosecution attempt to explain why DA Willis engaged in the misconduct and deliberately plays the race card whenever she can.&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/LXICp81lfK\">pic.twitter.com\/LXICp81lfK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Steve Sadow (@stevesadow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stevesadow\/status\/1821649950817866024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">August 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;Clearly, Willis&rsquo; violations of the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct are calculated to heighten public condemnation of the wrongfully accused defendants,&rdquo; Sadow added.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In this photo combination of file images, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee presides in court, left, while Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, right, looks on during a hearing on the Georgia election interference case on March 1, 2024, in Atlanta. (AP Photos\/Alex Slitz)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>McAfee determined that while the relationship created an &ldquo;appearance of impropriety,&rdquo; it did not result in an actual conflict of interest. Wade resigned shortly after the ruling, and the case was allowed to continue. The defense has appealed, seeking to have Willis removed and the indictment dismissed.<\/p>\n<p>The appeals court has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/3085756\/georgia-appeals-court-fani-willis-removal-hearing-after-2024-election\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>scheduled<\/a> oral arguments for December, making it unlikely that the case will be resolved before the presidential election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.<\/p>\n<p>Trump and 18 co-defendants were accused of conspiring to form a criminal enterprise to overturn his Georgia election defeat against President Joe Biden. The former president and 14 others have pleaded not guilty, while four&nbsp;others in the case have taken plea deals.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Separately, the Republican-led Georgia state Senate special committee investigating Willis is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox5atlanta.com\/news\/georgia-senate-committee-fani-willis-investigation-misconduct-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>expected to hear testimony<\/a> Friday from two attorneys and one GOP state representative. The purpose of the investigation is to determine whether any legislative action is needed to restore public confidence in the district attorney&rsquo;s office.<\/p>\n<p>Willis has said she will not appear before the committee, arguing it is &ldquo;unlawful&rdquo; and that she has &ldquo;not broken any law.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1726559\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1726559\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is seeking to continue her prosecution of former President Donald Trump in the 2020 election interference case, even as a Georgia appeals court considers whether she should be removed from her role as lead prosecutor due to an ethics complaint. The racketeering case has been paused since May, when the Georgia Court of Appeals agreed to review a ruling by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee regarding a potential conflict of interest involving Willis and Nathan Wade, a former top prosecutor on the case. This week, Willis urged the appellate court not to overturn McAfee&#8217;s decision that allowed her to remain on the case, arguing that the defense&#8217;s criteria for disqualification is overly stringent.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy centers around allegations of an inappropriate romantic relationship between Willis and Wade, who was appointed by her to assist with Trump&#8217;s case. A co-defendant alerted McAfee in January about this alleged relationship dating back to March 2022. In March, while McAfee did not mandate that Willis step down from the case outright, he indicated that either she or Wade would need to resign for proceedings to continue. Trump&#8217;s defense team contends that their relationship resulted in improper financial benefits for both parties and constitutes a conflict of interest justifying disqualification.<\/p>\n<p>Both Wade and Willis have denied any misconduct but have provided differing accounts regarding when their relationship ended\u2014Willis claims it concluded between June and August 2023 while Wade believes it ended between February and April last year. As an elected Democrat, Willis has publicly defended her actions; during a speech at Big Bethel AME Church over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, she questioned why her hiring decisions were scrutinized differently than those made by Republican officials.<\/p>\n<p>In response, Trump\u2019s attorney Steve Sadow criticized Willis\u2019s office for failing to clarify why she allegedly engaged in misconduct and accused her of playing racial politics. He stated that despite extensive arguments presented by prosecutors in their brief against disqualification, they did not address these concerns adequately.<\/p>\n<p>Judge McAfee acknowledged that while there was an &#8220;appearance of impropriety&#8221; due to their relationship, it did not create an actual conflict of interest. Following his ruling allowing the case&#8217;s continuation after Wade resigned shortly thereafter, Trump&#8217;s defense appealed with hopes of having both Willis removed from the prosecution team and dismissing charges altogether.<\/p>\n<p>Oral arguments are set for December at the appeals court level; thus far making it unlikely any resolution will occur before next year&#8217;s presidential election featuring Trump against Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump along with 18 co-defendants faces accusations related to conspiring as part of a criminal enterprise aimed at overturning his electoral loss in Georgia against President Joe Biden; he along with 14 others has pleaded not guilty while four others accepted plea deals.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, a special committee within Georgia&#8217;s Republican-led state Senate investigating Willis is scheduled Friday for testimonies from two attorneys alongside one GOP state representative concerning potential legislative measures needed restore public trust in her office\u2014though she has declined participation citing its illegality claiming no laws were broken on her part<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2321930,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MixCollage-23-May-2024-09-35-PM-4098.jpg.optimal.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[5282,3634,15093],"class_list":["post-2321929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-rico","tag-trump","tag-willis"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/MixCollage-23-May-2024-09-35-PM-4098.jpg.optimal.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2321929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2321929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2321929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2321930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2321929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2321929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2321929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}