Lawyers and ethics experts defend Fani Willis as Trump seeks her removal in Georgia case
ATLANTA — A group of attorneys and ethics experts has filed a motion defending Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as former President Donald Trump urge the court to remove her from his Georgia election interference case.
In the court filing, 17 signers argued that the allegations that Willis benefited financially from a personal relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade do not constitute grounds for removal.
“We have no independent knowledge whether there was a personal relationship at the time of hiring or whether overall spending in the personal relationship was roughly evenly balanced,” the motion in defense of Willis reads. “But even if all Defendants’ allegations are true, they do not mandate disqualification here. Indeed, they do not even come close.”
“Paying for gifts for a romantic partner out of one’s income is normal in the context of a marriage or other romantic relationship,” the filing says. “Neither the relationship, nor the alleged financial benefit to DA Willis justifies
A spokesperson from the DA’s office said that neither Willis nor her office requested the motion and that they found out about it only when it was filed.
The signers include Sarah Saldaña, a director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the Obama administration; Brad Wendel, a law professor at Cornell University; and Abbe Smith, a law professor at Georgetown University.
The effort to remove Willis was first made in January by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, and it was later adopted by Trump and co-defendant Michael Cheeley.
In a court filing last week, Willis acknowledged having a personal relationship with Wade, while her office said the defendants have not established “an actual conflict of interest, nor have they shown that, in the handling of the case, District Attorney Willis or Special Prosecutor Wade have acted out of any personal or financial motivation.” Wade has acknowledged a personal relationship with Willis in an affidavit, though he said they did not have a personal relationship when he was hired to work on the case.
