(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On May 23, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis filed an appeal of Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee’s March ruling, which dismissed six counts against former President Donald Trump and others charged in the Georgia 2020 election interference case.
McAfee dismissed six counts in the 41-count indictment against Trump and his co-defendants, including three specifically against Trump, stating they lacked sufficient details.
Willis filed the notice of appeal after the Georgia Court of Appeals stated it would review Trump’s appeal to disqualify Willis from the election interference case. Trump filed his appeal to have Willis disqualified after McAfee’s ruling regarding the romantic relationship between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade. In February, attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents co-defendant and former Trump campaign staffer Michael Roman, alleged Wade and Willis’ romantic relationship was a conflict of interest. While McAfee called the relationship a “tremendous lapse in judgment,” he ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove the claims of conflict of interest, allowing Willis to remain on the case if she removed Wade from the case.
Known as a cross-appeal, the appeals court’s decision to consider Trump’s appeal allowed Willis to file an appeal to have McAfee’s ruling that dismissed the six counts reconsidered. She did not provide a reason for asking the appeals court to reconsider the dismissal.
Trump’s attorney, Steve Sadow, said the filing was “not unexpected.”
Despite the controversy in the case with Willis, she won her May 21 primary election over her Democratic challenger.
Trump and 14 co-defendants pleaded not guilty to charges related to what prosecutors allege was an attempt to overturn the Georgia results of the 2020 election. Four other co-defendants charged in the case pleaded guilty, accepting plea deals with prosecutors.
McAfee has not yet stated when he might set a start date for the trial. However, the appeal filings are expected to further delay the start of the trial.
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