Poole / AFP
For the former US president, the relationship between prosecutor Fannie Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade is reason enough to drop the charges against him.
The prosecutor in charge of investigating the case against Donald Trump in the US state of Georgia admitted on Friday that he had an affair with the lawyer he hired to work on the case, but denied a conflict of interest.
For the former US president, who has been indicted in this southern state for taking illegal steps aimed at overturning the results of the 2020 election, the relationship between prosecutor Fannie Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade constitutes sufficient cause against him to drop the charges against him.
A “baseless” request
But, in a court document, Fannie Willis considered the request “baseless” and urged the reviewing judge to reject it. According to the prosecutor, Nathan Wade was not related when he was hired in November 2021. The latter, currently in divorce proceedings, disclosed in a court document that he began the relationship with Fanny Willis in 2022, claiming that he began the relationship in 2022. “Derived no funding or personal financial benefit from his role as Special Prosecutor”.
Donald Trump, the favorite in the Republican primaries for the November presidential election, has pleaded not guilty in the Georgia case. In a post on his Truth social platform on Friday, the billionaire claims – in capital letters – that Fanny Willis’ statement “So this scam is completely discredited and over”. Fannie Willis proposed in November that the trial of the former president and his 14 co-defendants begin on August 5, 2024, three months before the presidential election.
Four of the 19 defendants initially charged by the indictment issued on August 14 have already pleaded guilty, specifically under the Georgia law on organized gang crime used by prosecutors. He was sentenced to a lesser sentence, without prison time, in exchange for his testimony in future trials of the other defendants. Donald Trump also faces several federal charges for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, as his supporters storm the Capitol in Washington on January 6, 2021.
The trial is scheduled to begin in March in the US capital, but is likely to be postponed. The former president was also indicted federally in Florida, where he is accused of negligent handling of classified documents after leaving the White House. The trial is scheduled to begin on May 20.
