Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee stunned observers on Wednesday when he ruled to dismiss a half-dozen charges filed by District Attorney Fani Willis against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants in an ‘election interference’ case.
In quashing the six counts, McAfee wrote that there is not sufficient evidence of “solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer.”
“The Court’s concern is less that the state has failed to allege sufficient conduct of the Defendants — in fact it has alleged an abundance. However, the lack of detail concerning an essential legal element is, in the undersigned opinion, fatal,” McAfee wrote, according to Fox News.
“As written, these six counts contain all the essential elements of the crimes but fail to allege sufficient detail regarding the nature of their commission, i.e., the underlying felony solicited,” he added.
Meanwhile, according to a recent report, Willis is expected to find out whether she will be disqualified from the election interference case within the next couple of weeks.
The announcement followed McAfee’s review of closing arguments presented by various lawyers involved in the racketeering case against Trump and others.
“The decision will come down to whether the judge believes Willis had a financial incentive to hire special prosecutor Nathan Wade for the case. Willis and Wade admitted to a romantic relationship, but the timeframe of that relationship was the crux of the argument about whether the relationship was improper,” AOL reported.
Allegations have emerged concerning Willis suggesting that she was involved in an improper extramarital relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired. Critics argue that this relationship poses a conflict of interest, potentially compromising the case. While Willis’ office denies any financial or professional misconduct, concerns have been raised that the affair undermines public confidence in the prosecution.
Attorney Courtney Kramer entered the race against Willis just hours before the official paperwork deadline closed on Friday. Kramer, an elections law attorney, is running as a Republican in traditionally deep-blue Fulton County. Pledging to prioritize crime reduction in the region, she has also been vocal in her opposition to Willis and her handling of the Trump prosecution, Newsweek reported.
