Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is planning to put Trump on trial before the 2024 election after she survived an effort to disqualify her from the case because of a conflict of interest with the top prosecutor she hired.
Willis plans to ask Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to schedule a trial date for Trump’s RICO case in the summer before the 2024 election, according to CNN.
Excerpt from CNN:
Fani Willis, the embattled Fulton County District Attorney, plans to press ahead with her goal of putting Donald Trump on trial before the November election, and intends to ask the judge presiding over the Georgia criminal case to schedule a trial date as soon as this summer, according to three people familiar with her thinking.
It’s a bold move considering the hurdles Willis faces in getting the case back on track after a two-month detour revealed embarrassing details of her personal life, damaging her credibility in the eyes of Judge Scott McAfee and leaving her politically vulnerable ahead of her own reelection bid in November.
Sources close to Willis tell CNN that the DA’s office is effectively ready to go to trial. Willis has said she needs only 30 days to prepare once a date is set. Defense attorneys have had since September to review the evidence and prepare their own arguments.
Willis had previously asked for a trial to start in August 2024. Sources tell CNN she plans to re-up the request now that she has survived the chaotic two months – which saw the entire Fulton County DA’s office face disqualification and threatened to derail the entire case.
It’s unclear exactly when Willis will make her second request of McAfee to set a trial date. The Fulton County District Attorney’s office has declined to comment to CNN for this story.
Judge Scott McAfee on Wednesday announced President Trump and his co-defendants can appeal the Fani Willis disqualification decision.
Judge Scott McAfee last Friday ruled District Attorney Fani Wills can continue her RICO case against Trump and his associates.
In his 23-page decision, Judge McAfee ordered Fani Willis to address the “appearance of impropriety” before the case can move forward. McAfee ruled Willis can stay on the case but must fire her lover Nathan Wade, the top prosecutor she hired to hunt down Trump.
Later Friday afternoon Nathan Wade resigned from the RICO case.
The Georgia Court of Appeals has 45 days to decide on any appeal to the judge’s disqualification order.
Trump’s lawyer Steve Sadow called this decision by Judge McAfee “highly significant.”
“The defense is optimistic that appellate review will lead to the case being dismissed and the DA being disqualified,” Sadow said, according to Fox News.
