Georgia Supreme Court rejects Fani Willis' bid to prosecute Trump

by · UPI

Sept. 16 (UPI) -- The Georgia Supreme Court on Tuesday denied Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' bid to continue prosecution of President Donald Trump for election interference.

The court issued a 4-3 decision to decline to review her case, which disqualified her over "impropriety" because of a romantic relationship she had with the special prosecutor in the case.

Willis said in a statement that she disagrees with the decision but respects the court.

"I hope that whoever is assigned to handle the case will have the courage to do what the evidence and the law demand," Willis said.

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Steve Sadow, Trump's lead attorney in Georgia, said in a statement that the state's high court was correct.

"Willis' misconduct during the investigation and prosecution of President Trump was egregious, and she deserved nothing less than disqualification. This proper decision should bring an end to the wrongful political, lawfare persecutions of the president," Sadow said.

The Prosecuting Attorneys' Council in Georgia could appoint a new prosecutor to take on the case, but that process could take months.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee had allowed Willis to stay on the case if Nathan Wade left. Wade was the special prosecutor on the Georgia Trump case with whom Willis had a relationship. In December, an appeals court reversed that decision.

"While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings," the appellate court said.

Trump and 18 others were indicted in August 2023, charged with a racketeering conspiracy to overturn the legal election results in Georgia.

Trump was heard on a recorded phone call with Georgia election officials pressuring them to "find" enough votes to make him the winner when President Joe Biden was the legal winner of the state in the 2020 election.

Four co-defendants in the Georgia case have pleaded guilty.

Scott Hall, Kenneth Chesebro, and former Trump attorneys Sidney Powell and Jenna Ellis all acknowledged guilt for their roles in the alleged election conspiracy.