Former President Trump and eight co-defendants asked a state appeals court on Friday to review a judge’s ruling allowing Fulton County District Attorney Fani Williams to stay on the election interference case.
As Mia reported earlier this month, Willis was allowed to remain so long as her former paramour, special prosecutor Nathan Wade, resigned.
“DA Willis has covered herself and her office in scandal and disrepute, as she has squandered her credibility and repeatedly and flagrantly violated the heightened ethical standards demanded of her position,” the appeal states.
On Friday, Trump and eight of his co-defendants filed an application with the Georgia Court of Appeals urging it to take up the case, insisting Willis has a personal stake in the case and must step aside. The move was expected after McAfee handed down a decision enabling the defense to attempt to appeal his ruling before trial.
“While the trial court factually found DA Willis’s out-of-court statements were improper and Defendants proved an apparent conflict of interest, the trial court erred as a matter of law by not requiring dismissal and DA Willis’ disqualification,” the application reads. “This legal error requires the Court’s immediate review.”
The court’s rules gives the district attorney’s office 10 days to respond to the application.
McAfee only found evidence of an apparent conflict of interest following the blockbuster hearings, but Trump and his co-defendants said the judge’s factual findings make clear the romance amounts to more.
“If this law means anything, the trial court’s actual findings here establish an actual conflict,” the application reads. (The Hill)
“President Trump and eight other defendants filed their joint application for interlocutory appeal today," said lead defense counsel Steve Sadow. "Defendants argued in the trial court that the indictment should have been dismissed and, at a minimum, DA Willis and her office should have been disqualified from prosecuting the case. The Georgia Court of Appeals should grant the application and accept the interlocutory appeal for consideration on the merits.”
My statement as lead defense counsel for President Trump in the Fulton County, GA case:
— Steve Sadow (@stevesadow) March 29, 2024
“President Trump and eight other defendants filed their joint application for interlocutory appeal today. Defendants argued in the trial court that the indictment should have been dismissed… pic.twitter.com/on18OY66dk
