Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has been permanently sidelined from prosecuting President Donald Trump’s election interference case in Georgia after she lost an appeal at the state’s highest court. Willis pictured at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, on March 1, 2024. (Alex Slitz/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney in the Georgia case, welcomed the decision.
"Willis’ misconduct during the investigation and prosecution of President Trump was egregious and she deserved nothing less than disqualification," Sadow said in a statement. "This proper decision should bring an end to the wrongful political, lawfare persecutions of the president."
Jeff Clarke, a former Justice Department official who is one of 19 defendants indicted under the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, said the case now moves to the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, which will choose a replacement.
"Praise the Lord for progress in this case. It never should have been brought in the first place," he said.
Willis said she disagreed with the decision but would make the case file and evidence available to the Prosecuting Attorneys Council for use in the litigation.
"While I disagree with the decision of the Georgia Court of Appeals and the Georgia Supreme Court’s divided decision not to review it, I respect the legal process and the courts," Willis said, per Fox Atlanta.
Adam Ney, Fulton County assistant district attorney, left, and Nathan Wade, Fulton County prosecutor, at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. (Getty)
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During the Georgia case, it came to light that Willis was in a romantic relationship with Wade, the special prosecutor she had hired to help lead the case.
The pair eventually acknowledged the relationship but argued it had no impact on the prosecution. Wade later resigned, but the controversy persisted and the Court of Appeals ruled Willis and her entire office had to be disqualified due to the appearance of impropriety.
Ashleigh Merchant, who exposed Willis’ romantic relationship with Wade as defense attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, said: "We hope this will finally close this chapter."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/fani-willis-permanently-removed-from-prosecuting-trump-election-interference-case-after-losing-appeal