(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Judge Scott McAfee on Friday ruled that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis may continue to oversee her lawfare attack on former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen codefendants, as long as she fires her longtime lover, special counsel Nathan Wade.
Wade resigned shortly thereafter, ABC News reported.
In his much ballyhooed decision, McAfee—who himself allegedly had close ties with Willis prior to accepting the case—insisted that there was no conflict of interest.
Judge McAfee worked for Fani Willis and donated to her campaign AND has now ruled that Fani can keep prosecuting Trump but only if she removes her lover Nathan Wade off the case!
Judge McAfee should have recused himself in the first place because of his obvious bias.
Fani… pic.twitter.com/o47THElYkN
— Marjorie Taylor Greene 🇺🇸 (@mtgreenee) March 15, 2024
“As alleged, the claims presented a possible financial conflict of interest for the District Attorney,” McAfee’s opinion read.
However, “… the court [found] that the defendants failed to meet their burden of proving that the District Attorney acquired an actual conflict of interest in this case through her personal relationship and recurring travels with her lead prosecutor,” he added.
McAfee also mentioned that the situation presented a “significant appearance of impropriety,” but apparently resolved that was not enough to remove both Willis and Wade from the case.
Judge McAfee rules that only one potential liar can prosecute the case – but not both potential liars.
Instead of curing the "appearance of impropriety", it allows it to continue.
If Nathan Wade goes, why can Fani Willis stay? McAfee doesn't give an answer. pic.twitter.com/Lj1pgF6Bgk
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) March 15, 2024
The decision brought an uproar from a wide array of critics on social media who said there was clear evidence of misconduct on Willis’s part that cast her judgment, integrity, ethics and professionalism into question.
“So, if I have this right, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee decided to pull a James Comey, Robert Mueller, and Robert Hur,” tweeted Curtis Houck, managing editor of NewsBusters. “Write a ruling saying Fani Willis and Nathan Wade are guilty as hell, have no ethics, and aren’t good role models… BUT Fani can stay.”
So, if I have this right, Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee decided to pull a James Comey, Robert Mueller, and Robert Hur:
Write a ruling saying Fani Willis and Nathan Wade are guilty as hell, have no ethics, and aren't good role models….BUT Fani can stay
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) March 15, 2024
Constitutional law expert Jonathan Turley also weighed in, drawing an analogy on Fox News to two people caught committing a robbery, which is not unlike what Willis and Wade were alleged to have done to the taxpayers of Fulton County.
“It’s like finding two people in a bank vault and taking one off to jail,” Turley said.
“They both testified in the same way,” he continued. “They were the two parts to this relationship, and yet only one of them was disqualified.”
Jonathan Turley reacts to Judge McAfee's ruling that Fani either recuse herself or remove lover Nathan Wade from the case:
"It's like finding two people in a bank vault and taking one off to jail."
"They both testified in the same way. They were the two parts to this… pic.twitter.com/90FR9GekWq
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 15, 2024
One thought-provoking piece in Willis’s hometown newspaper, the Atlanta Journal–Constitution even raised the question, “Would DA Fani Willis indict defendant Fani Willis?”
It noted that several elements of Willis’s own scandalous conduct appeared to bear close similarity to the sort of racketeering conspiracies that she seemed to specialize in prosecuting.
“The overarching allegation is that by hiring her then-boyfriend, the DA has siphoned off nearly a million dollars and counting of taxpayer money that continues to be paid to him,” wrote author Robert Wilson, an Atlanta attorney who represented former Trump codefendant Kenneth Chesebro.
“…[B]y hiring a paramour without authorization and paying him with public monies, would our DA seek a RICO indictment for an alleged romantic partnership that used subterfuge to enrich her partner?” he asked.
Despite the fact that Willis may remain on the case, the situation for her is still dire, as the New York Post observed.
The House Judiciary Committee has launched a federal probe into her misuse of funds and may also hold her in contempt of Congress.
Her credentials as a lawyer may also be at stake due to ethical questions; McAfee recommended that the Georgia Bar Association look into the matter.
In addition to jeopardizing her career, Willis also created a situation where her entire reputation as a professional may be at risk.
For instance, while testifying in the ethics trial, Willis hinted that she likely used her campaign funds for personal purchases.
FANI: “When I took out a large amount of money on my first campaign, I kept some of the cash from that.” pic.twitter.com/GaWwsnACwW
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) February 15, 2024
Headline USA’s Ben Sellers contributed to this report.
