One of the key cases against former President Donald Trump has been agitated by claims of an inappropriate relationship between the district attorney of Fulton County and a prosecutor she selected.
This is just another development in the years-long campaign to penalise individuals responsible for trying to sabotage Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential contest.
Legally speaking, the lawsuit is unlikely to be dismissed, but Trump, who wants to paint the Georgia allegations as politically driven and illegitimate, may receive a significant political boost from this.
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Observe the following:
What accusations are made?
Nathan Wade was brought in as an outside consultant by Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, to serve as a special prosecutor in the election subversion case.
Wade was hired during the alleged extramarital connection between Willis and Wade, and court documents show that Wade was paid over $650,000 for his work on the case.
Credit card documents that were part of Wade’s divorce proceedings show that he paid for Willis to go with him to Miami and San Francisco.
Two court cases—Nathan and Joycelyn Wade’s divorce proceedings and a lawsuit by election subversion defendant Mike Roman—have made the claims public.
What may occur with the case?
The election subversion case is being overseen by Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who has set a hearing date of February 15 for Willis.
Should McAfee theoretically disqualify Willis from supervising the Trump racketeering charges, the matter would proceed to the Georgia Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, which would select the prosecutors to whom the case may be referred.
Numerous Republican legislators are looking into
In addition to their illicit connection, a Fulton County commissioner has opened an investigation to see whether Willis abused funds or took expensive gifts from a contractor. Wade’s suitability for this position has come under scrutiny from the commissioner.
The group’s executive director, Peter Skandalakis, previously told CNN that there was no evidence at the time of any investigations by other groups to have Willis removed. Both Skandalakis and Republican Georgia Governor Brian Kemp have stated that McAfee should settle this matter in court first.
Republicans in the House are also looking into the baseless claims made about Willis and Nathan Wade.
House Republicans are requiring Wade to provide any correspondence with federal investigators, the House January 6 committee, and other executive branch agencies, including the White House, in addition to a plethora of financial documents.
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Rep. Jim Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has ordered Nathan Wade to provide a number of records and correspondence pertaining to the election subversion case by this Friday. A person with knowledge of the situation told CNN that “all options are on the table” about Wade’s potential subpoena in the event that he misses the deadline.
The Judiciary Committee’s Republicans have long worked to discredit Willis’s testimony. Jordan had previously demanded records from the Fulton County district attorney’s office, but they had been turned down several times.
Legislation to create a special committee to investigate Willis has been sponsored by Republican state legislators in Georgia.
“There is an urgent need for a comprehensive and unbiased investigation into the numerous charges made against Ms. Willis, which include claims of prosecutorial malpractice, concerns regarding the utilisation of public funds, and accusations of an unprofessional relationship,” stated a statement from state senator Greg Dolezal.
Significance of the Georgia case
Trump and eighteen other defendants were accused of participating in a plot to reverse his election setback in the Peach State in 2020, which included the deployment of “fake electors.” Since then, four of the 19 have entered guilty pleas; the other nine have continued to enter not-guilty pleas.
The Georgia accusations are significant because, as a state case, they cannot be dropped by a presidential pardon, which is limited to cases involving federal entities. Trump’s attorneys have always believed that this case poses the greatest legal risk because of the size of the jury and the fact that there is no possibility of a pardon.
Along with former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and Trump supporter and lawyer John Eastman are among the other accused co-conspirators. Special Counsel Jack Smith’s federal investigation into election subversion tactics has accused just Trump thus far.
Why is Trump taking this so seriously?
Despite Trump’s repeated denials of all the accusations and attacks on Democratic Congressman Willis as biassed, he and his allies have been unable to derail the prosecution. Furthermore, as a state matter, there is no purported direct connection between Biden and the US Justice Department.
Meadows made an unsuccessful attempt to transfer his charges to federal court, where he could have a greater chance of having them dropped and potentially provide a path for a future pardon. He is now appealing that decision.
In the meanwhile, Trump is attempting to have the broad criminal conspiracy case against him dismissed in Georgia, claiming presidential privilege shields him from prosecution.
However, the former president may now intensify his criticism of Willis by really stating that she is being accused of corruption and infidelity.
What does Willis say?
Although Willis and Nathan Wade have not responded to the allegations directly, on January 14 Willis said to a church audience that her opponents were focusing on her and Wade due to their race, asking, “Isn’t it them using the race card?”
“The Black guy I selected has been a judge for more than ten years, operated a private practice for more than twenty, represented businesses in civil action, I ain’t done y’all,” she said, defending Wade’s qualifications as well. worked as a special assistant attorney general, a prosecutor, and a criminal defence attorney.
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McAfee decided that the district attorney would have until next week to address the accusations.
Willis is also battling a subpoena to testify in the Wade divorce lawsuit in the meanwhile.
In court documents, Willis has implied that Joycelyn Wade is “obstructing and interfering with an ongoing criminal case” and that she is using the divorce to harass the district attorney, harm her character, and cause damage.
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