Judge says he'll rule whether to remove Fani Willis from Trump case within two weeks
Willis was accused of misconduct by one of Trump's co-defendants in the Georgia case, his former campaign staffer Michael Roman.
ATLANTA — The judge presiding over the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump and his co-defendants said Friday he hopes to rule on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified from the case in the next two weeks — a move that if granted could upend the racketeering case against the former president.
Lawyers for the defendants in the case, including Trump, and from the DA's office presented closing arguments on the matter to Judge Scott McAfee. The lawyers for the defendants argued that Willis should be removed because of the “appearance” of a conflict of interest stemming from a romantic relationship she had with the special prosecutor she appointed to the case.
Adam Abbate, an attorney for the DA's office, countered that Willis was the target of a campaign “to impugn her reputation” that included allegations from people who had an ax to grind against her, and that the motion should be dismissed.
The judge said at the end of the over three-hour hearing that it's “been very much made clear by the argument made today there are several legal issues to sort through” and “several factual determinations I have to make.”
“I will be taking the time to make sure I give this case the full consideration it is due. I hope to have an answer for everyone within the next two weeks,” McAfee said.
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