The judge presiding over the Georgia case involving former President Donald Trump has cautioned that District Attorney Fani Willis might face a gag order, barring her from discussing the case publicly. Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee hinted at this possibility in his recent ruling, citing Willis’s speech at an Atlanta church on Jan. 14 as “legally improper” due to its racially charged nature.
McAfee’s ruling came in response to concerns raised after allegations surfaced regarding Willis’s alleged inappropriate relationship with special counsel Nathan Wade, whom she appointed to lead the Trump election interference case in Georgia. In her speech, Willis referenced the “race card” without substantiating claims of racial bias and criticized a Fulton County Commissioner and others for questioning her decision to hire Wade.
“The time may well have arrived for an order preventing the State from mentioning the case in any public forum to prevent prejudicial publicity, but that is not the motion presently before the Court,” the judge stated.
While Willis’s speech did not directly name President Trump or other defendants, Judge McAfee noted that it occurred in the context of a motion by co-defendant Michael Roman to disqualify her from the case, leaving room for public speculation. McAfee stated that the speech, viewed as a whole, indirectly encompassed Roman and his counsel, potentially impacting the fairness of the trial.
Despite deeming Willis’s speech legally improper, McAfee concluded that it did not outright deny the defendants a fair trial or necessitate Willis’s disqualification. However, he cautioned against such public comments by a prosecuting attorney, warning of the dangers they pose.
President Trump’s attorneys had sought Willis’s disqualification, alleging bias that could influence the jury pool. However, McAfee’s ruling allowed Willis to continue prosecuting the case, even after Wade’s resignation.
While McAfee acknowledged the absence of an actual conflict of interest, he emphasized the significant appearance of impropriety stemming from Willis’s relationship with Wade. This appearance, McAfee stressed, undermines public confidence in the legal system, even in the absence of concrete evidence of wrongdoing.
