*UPDATE* Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade Resigns From Georgia Trump Case
“With these principles in mind, the Court finds that the record made at the evidentiary hearing established that the District Attorney’s prosecution is encumbered by an appearance of impropriety.”
*UPDATE 4:10 PM* Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade resigned from the Georgia Trump case after the judge told District Attorney Fani Willis she had to go or Wade in order for the case to go forward: “I hereby offer my resignation, effective immediately.”
Previous reporting:
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee told District Attorney Fani Willis she must step aside or fire Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade from the case against former President Donald Trump.
McAfee did not find a conflict of interest or anything fishy about money, except Willis and Wade could not prove they definitely split the costs. Therefore, no proof about the money gives off the appearance of impropriety.
“The appearance standard recognizes that even when no actual conflict exists, a perceived conflict in the reasonable eyes of the public threatens confidence in the legal system itself,” McAfee wrote. “When this danger goes uncorrected, it undermines the legitimacy and moral force of our already weakest branch of government.”
Therefore, McAfee found that the court can “consider the appearance of impropriety as a basis for a state prosecutor’s disqualification, especially in recognition of the critical role that the prosecutor plays in the criminal-justice system.”
But the remedy has to be specific, which is why McAfee applied it to only Willis or Wade instead of the entire DA office:
With these principles in mind, the Court finds that the record made at the evidentiary hearing established that the District Attorney’s prosecution is encumbered by an appearance of impropriety. This appearance is not created by mere status alone, but comes because of specific conduct, and impacts more than a mere “nebulous” public interest because it concerns a public prosecutor. Blumenfeld, 247 Ga. at 410. Even if the romantic relationship began after SADA Wade’s initial contract in November 2021, the District Attorney chose to continue supervising and paying Wade while maintaining such a relationship. She further allowed the regular and loose exchange of money between them without any exact or verifiable measure of reconciliation. This lack of a confirmed financial split creates the possibility and appearance that the District Attorney benefited – albeit non-materially – from a contract whose award lay solely within her purview and policing.
Most importantly, were the case allowed to proceed unchanged, the prima facie concerns raised by the Defendants would persist. As the District Attorney testified, her relationship with Wade has only “cemented” after these motions and “is stronger than ever.” Wade’s patently unpersuasive explanation for the inaccurate interrogatories he submitted in his pending divorce indicates a willingness on his part to wrongly conceal his relationship with the District Attorney. As the case moves forward, reasonable members of the public could easily be left to wonder whether the financial exchanges have continued resulting in some form of benefit to the District Attorney, or even whether the romantic relationship has resumed. Put differently, an outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist.
- Willis and her entire office can step aside and refer the case to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council for reassignment.
- Wade can leave the case, “allowing the District Attorney, the Defendants, and the public to move forward without his presence or remuneration distracting from and potentially compromising the merits of this case.”
McAfee also described Willis’s speech at a church, blaming the accusations against her on racism, as legally improper.
However, McAfee did not find enough to use it to dismiss her. She did not name any of the defendants, reveal confidential information, or address any of the “merits of the indicted offenses.”
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Comments
Her perjury apparently was not a factor
It’s the tortured reasoning of “this corruption is fine, but this corruption is not”. If defendants can object to the relationship, can they not also object to the perjurious DA? The “legitimacy and moral force” has been weakened either way because nothing she or her staff says can be trusted to be the truth.
The judge and his wife both donated to the Fanny campaign
They’re big fans of Fani.
While a sense of humor is always appreciated, this institutional destruction, and the mayhem that it has precipitated, which will only quicken and deepen, will result in atrocity after atrocity for real people.
We simply cannot live with people like this. We must create our own secure states where the real rule of law, decency, justice and competent institutions allow us to pursue our flourishing in peace and love.
Time to get serious folks!
So, most comments here are sarcastic. It is time for deep sadness because hell lies ahead.
n 2012, McAfee was a judicial intern for Georgia Supreme Court justice Keith R. Blackwell. He also interned for justice David Nahmias In 2013, he graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law, cum laude. While in law school, he was the vice president of the school’s Federalist Society chapter, treasurer of Law Republicans and inducted into The Order of Barristers.
So he’s one more Georgia RINO. I’m shocked.
You conveniently forgot to mention that McAfee had previously worked for Willis and donated to her campaign, dingus.
Sorry man, you’re a complete moron, or corruptly evil. We should all do and think the diametric opposite of you.
The decision is nothing to snizz at. Ever since Clinton and the Blue Dress, political conversation and society in general has coarsened. Only the most devout useful idiot knows that the decision is a test a loyalty to The Party. He is a white guy in a black world who can’t get uppity.
“isn’t a test”…. got emotionally carried away there. Orwell was a naive optimist.
yet she is prosecuting Trump for making false statements about the election
It’s (D)ifferent when they do it, especially under oath.
Fat Fani Willis will dump Nathan Wade, he will will turn on her. This could be quite entertaining.
I guess the threat of losing his job to a BLM challenger weakened his spine. What everyone has learned is that if you are black and especially a black female you can lie and perjure yourself in a court of law and get away with it without censure, disbarment or any type of retribution.
There really are 2 systems of justice now.
Nor was Nathan Wade’s
Sugar Daddies and Hoochie Mamas will lead the parade into their own slavery.
As long as Wade and Willis get to play hide the salami with each other, and spend the government largess by slipping it to each other on the taxpayer dime, it makes no difference which one steps away.
The lies, deception, and chicanery continue.
No, it makes a difference. I was glad Wade got chosen to leave. That leaves Fani, who has 2-3x the ethics strikes against her, leaving her easier for Trump to impeach at trial.
Split the baby coward
That was not a decision Solomon would have made. It was a continuance of the corruption, especially in Democratic Black areas.
OJ Simpson Meets Fani Willis.
The judge took a marker and put some dotted lines on the baby and handed the sword to Fani.
“X-RAY REVEALS JUDGE HAS NO SPINE”
The judge is a worthless, spineless, gutless POS who just couldn’t bring himself to do the right thing.
It’s just a slap on the Fani.
The judge and his wife both donated to her campaign
RWTR is reporting that the judge used to work for Willis
He still does!
Fur shure!
:-{)}}}
And he is being challenged by a civil rights judge for his job. He was afraid if he made the “wrong” judgement, he would be called a RACIST and lose.
They did but I think the threatened run at his job next election by a BLM activist did more to clarify his mind than anything. That he has no credibility or respect left from anyone seems to not have entered his mind. Look for the BLM crowd to still go after him. Serves this weasel right. His weaseling about letting others do the dirty work won’t help in in the slightest.
“I’s paid in cash from my stash for all that vacationing”. Seriously, even the people in the room laughed at that nonsense.
The judge is corrupt.
He is scum.
No, he is Federalist Society Judge, the group from which Trump appointed most of his Judges. The fact that conservative Federalist Society Judges are ruling against Trump should tell you a lot about Trump legal arguments.
This STATE judge is apparently spineless. As for the rest of your comment, it says a bit more about you than the merits of President Trump’s legal arguments. In fact it screams TDS.
You’re such a fraud, JR. You consistently whine how Trump has destroyed America, yet clap like a trained seal for this.
Trump Trump Trump.
You are obsessed. Must be really tiresome being TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP obsessed, unable to think or talk about about anything else but TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP.
Happy now? TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP!
JR… about as wanted as a fart in church.
“The fact that conservative Federalist Society Judges are ruling against Trump should tell you a lot about Trump legal arguments.”
LOL. Sure, Chet… go with that.
Let’s not EVEN discuss the part where McAfee worked for Willis and donated to her political campaign, hmmm?
I had hoped the Judge would be like Alito, but he is more like Amy Coney Barret.
I suspected he would do something like this. He is not a profile in courage and I am not defending the judges decision …
… it will still work out.
1- she’s incompetent, instead of being replaced by someone competent
2- there are a number of issues to follow up on that McAfee said in his ruling that others could (hint hint, I have no courage but you might want to since these others don’t need any or as many votes from Fulton country on reelection)
3- there are still issues in the case like the unlawful recording to play out that will help get all this dismissed
4- it might be appealed to a more neutral court which will delay this further
All of which will keep bumbling Fani in the headings and the corruption obvious
A clean win is what he deserved for true justice, and he will still get it – he deserves it sooner since it’s an unlawful distraction from his campaign.
Did anyone reading this blog expect this judge to do any better than this?
Is this judge especially corrupt or spineless?
If anything, the mass lawfare against Trump has revealed that corruption in the legal system is the rule, not the exception.
I would sooner put my fate in the hands of a common criminal than the legal system because the former only wants what’s in your wallet — they aren’t out to ruin your entire life.
The judge is BOTH corrupt and sineless, like a typical weak-minded bum. Pretty sure he’s been bought/pressured in some manner, using tortured logic to tap dance his way to this criminal decision. I have zero tolerance anymore for offering a second chance to these types, this was not a mistake…and it matters..this:
From Kingdom of Heaven…
“A king may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, “But I was told by others to do thus.” Or that, “Virtue was not convenient at the time.”
This will not suffice. Remember that.”
If only because everyone is watching.
Two people robbed a bank together; only one is guilty. Right.
Quite seriously, this kind of thing is why I continually remind myself not to expect a Trump victory in the national election.
The system is far too corrupted to allow that to happen.
If it is too corrupted to salvage, then America has had it. I hope you are wrong.
There was no bank robbery. Having the two of them working together on this case created the appearance of a conflict of interest, that’s all. So one of them had to go. Once there’s only one of them there’s no more appearance of a conflict. She’s no longer giving the appearance of personally benefiting from the ongoing prosecution.
Biden said he’s considering McAfee as his running mate to replace the weak and trepid Kamala Harris. “I want someone who has the backbone to stand up and do the right thing in case anything should happen to me.”
It has nothing to do with the Trump case. It ought to be a disbarment question, not a stepping down question.
It should be BOTH. Those are two separate questions, one the judge can answer and one that he cannot…although there is prima facie evidence of perjury by an officer of the court…in HIS court. He should have disqualified her and referred the matter to both the AG for investigation and the state bar for her law license.
It has everything to do with the Trump case. There are clearly different rules for law breaking Dimtards and Leftys, then there’s the Kangaroo Court for the normals.
I’m going back and forth on that. I think it is at the least a judgement and conflict of interest with the result of her being removed from everything pending a review of her conduct by the Georgia Bar.
The judge ruled on the conflict of interest. There’s no actual conflict, because her benefit from the appointment is so small that it’s not reasonable to suppose that she cooked up this whole prosecution just so she could hire her boyfriend who would channel the money back to her. If that were her purpose she would have got a lot more back. But having them both on the case gives the appearance of a conflict, so one of them had to go. Once that happened there were no grounds on which he could disqualify her from the case.
Her perjury is a separate matter that he couldn’t consider. It’s not grounds for removing her from this case, but it is potential grounds for removing her from office altogether, which would automatically remove her from this case too. But that’s not a matter for this judge. It’s a matter for the AG and the state bar.
soy boy judge thinks this is the best way to keep his black robe come Novemeber.
The Falcons should offer him a tryout as their next punter.
so politicians can spend campaign cash on themselves
so kewl !!
I expected this. If you’re black and dem and in Fulton County, you can get away with anything. They’re celebrating in front of the court house now – free watermelon, fried chicken, and collard greens.
I’m pretty convinced, after 59 years of observation of behavior, that blacks want not equality but royalty and revenge.
My reaching of the same conclusion came in four short years of military service. What an awakening!
I’m thinking Ms. Fah-Knee knew this when being cross-examined, her “I’m all that” attitude was more than combative, and this POS judge let it all go. No need for Russia, these two colluded. Worse, for Mr. Dumber than a Rock to involve himself with That Angry Thang (because he’s stupid) has just become the fall guy without a sudden stop cushion. Hope his wife takes him for everything…including the cash.
Please, try harder to be more racist here on LI. The moderators on LI don’t seem to care.. Free watermelon, fried chicken, and collard greens? Is Mammy cooking it all up?
Maybe the moderators don’t want an echo chamber. Also, the moderators may believe that most of us have thicker skins than you do.
Why do you say that is racist? And do you believe in free speech? No need to answer because the answer is obvious.
I’m as white as the driven snow and I love fried chicken and watermelon. Collard greens are an acquired taste. All are better when cooked up by mammy. Since when did good food become racist?
People keep talking about the portrayal of black men in old movie, especially horror/mystery, They have a black driver/valet/other menial worker who running around scared. The funny thing is that the whote people all keep peeping and prodding and wind up getting conked on the head or killed. The black guy is ” I’ze don’t want to have nothin to do with this.” and generally runs away. It’s the black guy that is the smart one.
Is this another “”””quote””””” from Powerline?
Sunlight is the best disinfectant. Better to see where someone comes from. Like with your TDS. Better than censorship, unless the comment crosses a clear line. You are free to call it out, but to make insinuations as you do is wrong.
Why? Because YOU believe only Knee Grows eat watermelon, fried chicken, and collard greens?
What a racist you are.
Your white savior routine gets old. You only comment this way because you believe blacks are inferior. To you racism against blacks lurks behind every comma, every word, every sentence. Even when no one makes reference to blacks.
But I guess you are the first to tell everyone at the back yard BBQ that you have black friends.
You mean the “moderators” who allow you to freely spew your trollish garbage?
Cry harder.
and Wade walks away with a million bucks for doing nuttin
He dindunuffin?
That’s the MO of the Dindu Nuffin Tribe.
The Dindu tribe even has their own entertainer for social gatherings…DJ Toof DK.
That, Sarge, brought out a nice laugh from me. Thank you.
TGG. I wish I could take credit for scooterjay’s comment. It’s a good thing there is no keyboard on an iPad. Otherwise the spewed coffee would have been tough to clean up.
To be fair, he did do something and he would have to be that much to do it. The thing he did is Fani.
I’m trying to eat my lunch
IF YOU DON’T MIND
A million and a half cause Fani paid him back.
I expect it will be Wade that gets kicked off the case, Willis ego won’t allow her to leave.
She’ll still be fucking Wade, and he will still have her ear. No difference.
You don’t know black men. After she threw him under the bus describing how he “couldn’t perform” in open court I’m surprised he didn’t jump her right there. He won’t have anything to do with her now.
That’s great news!
There is zero chance she will pass up the opportunity to be “the hero who got Trump”.
I actually expect Willis to appeal, arguing McAfee got it all wrong, and both she AND Wade can stay.
I also predict she’ll win.
I would say that it’s unbelievable. But, as a resident of this ‘fine’ county, what I should say is: Forget it. It’s Fulton County, Jake.
Does anyone know if this decision is subject to interlocutory appeal, or will the defendants have to wait until after there’s a conviction to appeal? I’m worried if it’s the latter because this decision signals that the Judge is either terrified or has been bought. Either way, the chances of this going to trial this year aren’t as remote as they were yesterday.
I say both terrified and bought. He’s terrified that BLM will burn his house down and injure his family, and he more than likely got a healthy “retainer” from Wade’s slush fund.
Fulton County Meets South Africa. The KKK changed color.
My official CDC observation:
■■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■■■■■■ ■■
■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■■ ■■ ■■ ■■■■ ■.
■■ ■■■ ■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■ ■■■■.
Sums it up pretty clearly.
My official response
━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━ ━
My only response to your outrageous post is: *** **** ****** * ***** ** ****** ** ******* * ******* *****
Please. Watch your language!
Is being a district court judge in Fulton County that sweet of a gig?
Apparently so, because Judge McAfee makes the only ruling he possibly can that will give him a chance in the upcoming election.
(Narrative voice: he will still lose.)
“Splitting the baby” here is not being done, as Solomon said he’d do, to draw out the truth. It’s rather being done to obfuscate the truth. The judge is trying to bury this, maintain relationships with his political allies, and keep his job.
The only good news is, the trial won’t happen for quite a while as the appeals will take the rest of 2024.
Being a judge is less work than being a lawyer.
Most law firms would be happy to have a former judge on their website.
McAfee losing to a BLM type is just one more step in Atlanta devolving into Baltimore South.
Just heard judge is up for reelection in two weeks. That should end the wondering.
I didn’t expect any other outcome from this. He and his wife both donated to the Fanny campaign after all.
Corruption.
A small donation, before he was a judge. Georgia precedent establishes that that’s not a conflict of interest.
“Either Wade or Willis Must Step Down”
Awaiting Willis’ response.
Willis: “Goodbye Wade.”
The whore will still be getting the “D”
On some sites they call him sweet dick
Just saying…
the ruling sounds like Fani wrote it
Is sure does!!!
All of this lawfare is a RICO operation; I hope when Trump wins he pursues it as such.
Disgusting banana republic
This is what affirmative Action looks like
We are Haiti
Maybe not Haiti, but South Africa and the former Rhodesia.
“OR”??? That is absolutely ridiculous. It makes no sense, whatsoever. But, form this “judge” I’m not surprised. This whole Soviet show trial remains a complete sh*tshow.
LOL.
Whether there was a kickback back or not is not the crux of the problem, just one added, minor dimension to an insane situation with so many obvious problems and CRIMES that is as cut and dried as it gets.
The new legal precedent is that the defendant now gets to decide whether she or the co-conspirator gets punished
No, the long-established precedent and common sense say that if having two people on the same case creates a conflict of interest then you solve it by removing one of them, not both.
Remember that if only one of them had been on the case in the first place there would have been no conflict for anyone to complain about.
It makes no difference that Fat Fani can continue in her cushy Democrat sinecure when the entire case is the bogus mess it is: looking to set the precedent that a Republican candidate cannot question election results, while leftist candidates face no such bar.
Reminds me of a tailgate party between SC State and Benedict College….loud, brash, arrogant and filled with a miasma of untruth.
Most likely the judge didn’t want angry crowds outside house…
A calculated decision that puts politics over law, despite what he said beforehand. Guess this is how he expects to get re-elected.
Why would it turn on when the relationship ‘became romantic’ whatever that means? A prosecutor is allowed to hook up with a special counsel once the first check clears?
If they didn’t get together until after she’d appointed him then obviously there was no conflict of interest in the appointment. What they did afterwards isn’t relevant. She hasn’t channeled him any more money since appointing him; he’s just been getting the same salary she hired him with.
The conflict comes only because they were already together when she appointed him, so it at least creates the appearance that she appointed him so that she could personally benefit from the salary. Getting him off the case solves that.
The judge is pretty weak. How weak is he?
The judge is so weak that he couldn’t even render a decision. He left it up to Fani to decide.
True
That’s not true. He rendered a decision that they couldn’t both be on the case. How could he possibly dictate which of them must leave? By what authority could he do that?
Maybe she can get her dress on right this time and wear some spanks
Give her a break! She had just come from Wade’s house and she was in a big hurry.
The railroad must run on time. The conductor is getting fired, but the engineer is still feeding coal into the engine despite having done everything the conductor did AS HIS BOSS. Good grief, what kind of decision is this? The two of them were caught in outright lies to the court. They’re supposed to be held to a higher standard.
McAfee must be fantasizing that he’s in some rewrite of a lousy version of “In The Heat of The Night”, it it’s more like an episode of “Night Court”.
Willis could play Marsha.
Neither. Twelfth Night.
So. No comments from those with legal background? I hope none of you will try to defend the indefensible.
what is the difference between what the judge ruled or a quid pro quo
What quid for what quo?
Wade has officially bowed down
Fani’s “to-do list”:
1. Find new boyfriend
2. Plan trip to Bahamas
3. Restock cash in safes around the house
Lawfare is the rule of the land. Figured she would pretty much escape justice.
I’m sure President Trump will have a fair trial for the false charges by the incompetent, racist AA
LOL, are we surprised? The legal system is hosed. Has been for a long time. Just like the Medical community, I have lost all faith in either one.
When Fanni said she paid Wade back in cash and Wade was getting paid 3 times the better attorney, it was case closed. The defense attorney for Fanni had awful closing arguments.
IDK. I think this had more to do with her unethical and corrupt behavior than anything to do with the ridiculous case against Trump.
Both of them should be suspended from the bar with her being immediately removed from the case pending a review of her actions by the Georgia Bar with a dismissal from practicing law anywhere just for perjury alone.
“Wade Resigns”
Translation: “Fani is looking for a new boyfriend”
Fani willis is a documented racist who blames all her problems in life on white people. Woke trash.
Will he give back the 600 k?
If I had to pretend that slipping it to Fani was great, I’d refuse to give the money back because I would believe I had earned it.
The key perpetrator remains….kangaroo court.
That defiant smirk in his photo at the top of this thread says a lot.