The Georgia Court of Appeals officially put the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump’s case on hold
The appeals court ordered Judge Scott McAfee to pause all proceedings pending its coming ruling on the defendants’ bid to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case. McAfee previously allowed Willis to stay on the case despite finding “a significant appearance of impropriety” in her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who defendants allege she financially benefited from appointing.
The appeals court agreed to take up the matter in May. It will hear oral arguments on Oct. 4.
NEW: Georgia Court of Appeals pauses Trump’s case pending its decision on the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis disqualification appeal. pic.twitter.com/0Qgs3XUdS2
— Katelynn Richardson (@katesrichardson) June 5, 2024
As a condition of allowing Willis to remain on the case, McAfee required Wade to step down. His ruling found “reasonable questions” about whether the pair testified truthfully about the timing of their relationship, which they claimed began after Wade was appointed.
Defendants argued in their appeal that disqualifying Wade was “is insufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the Court has determined exists.”
Wade paid for expenses on multiple vacations he and Willis took together, bank statements revealed.
Both claimed during a hearing on the defense’s motion that Willis reimbursed him using cash stored in her house. Wade pointed to cash reimbursements as a reason he had only one receipt for a flight demonstrating she paid for any aspect of their travel together, which they said was “roughly divided equally.”
Willis paid Wade more than the state’s top racketeering expert John Floyd, awarding Wade a $250 per hour contract while Floyd was earning $200 an hour, the Daily Caller News Foundation previously reported.
The original motion to disqualify Willis was filed by co-defendant Michael Roman in January.
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