Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been disqualified from prosecuting the criminal case against Donald Trump for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in that state, a Georgia appellate court has ruled. While the ruling does not throw out the case entirely, the decision to remove Willis is broadly seen as a victory for the president-elect and his allies, dealing a significant blow to the last remaining effort to hold them to account through the justice system.
Willis had already faced a request for charges to be dropped against one of Trump’s allies, after it was revealed that she was engaged in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor her office had hired to help with the case. A lower court judge had already ruled that charges would remain and Willis could stay on the case, as long as Wade stepped down. However, Trump and his indicted allies appealed the ruling to have Willis removed nonetheless. Today, the appellate court panel of three judges ruled 2 to 1 that Willis must also be disqualified despite Wade being taken off the case, as their relationship had given the “appearance of impropriety” and that there were no other options to “restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings.”
Donald Trump and 18 other defendants are accused by prosecutors of carrying out a “criminal racketeering enterprise” that sought to “unlawfully change the outcome” of the 2020 election in that state. On January 2nd, 2021, well after the results had been declared, Trump called Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger, asking him to “find 11,780 votes” in in the state, which would have changed the result there in his favor. The court also ruled against the defendants’ motion to throw out the charges entirely, however it remains to be seen whether or not the case will continue after Trump takes office, as his reelection raises questions as to whether state-level officials can prosecute a sitting president.
