Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' office urged the Georgia Court of Appeals on Monday not to entertain the defendants' appeal regarding the decision permitting her to continue leading the case against President Trump.
Willis emphasized to the Georgia Court of Appeals in a filing on Monday that it should dismiss the defendants' ongoing attempts to disqualify her. She pointed out that Judge Scott McAfee had determined “the evidence insufficient to establish any actual conflict of interest” and had declined to dismiss the indictment. McAfee's ruling allowed Willis to remain involved in the case on the condition that special prosecutor Nathan Wade, with whom she had a relationship and was accused of financially benefiting from his appointment, stepped down.
Willis argued on Monday that the appeal merely reflects the defendants' “dissatisfaction” with the outcome, which was determined based on the “proper application of well-established law to the facts.”
Although McAfee did not find that the defendants were able to establish an “actual” conflict of interest, he acknowledged that the record indicated “a significant appearance of impropriety,” noting that there were “reasonable questions” regarding the accuracy of the testimony provided by Willis and Wade concerning the timing of their relationship.
McAfee allowed the defendants a certificate of review in March, which enabled them to appeal the ruling. Willis is arguing that the appeal needs to be rejected, due to the fact that McAfee made “no factual finding of false testimony or a false affidavit.”
Willis' filing also addressed her previous statements, particularly regarding a “church speech” where she suggested racial motivations behind attacks against Wade, and made false claims about equal pay for special prosecutors.
Read the filing here: here.
