Alyssa Pointer/Pool Photo via AP
Judge Scott McAfee has delivered his ruling on whether to disqualify Fani Willis from her own prosecution of Donald Trump in Fulton County, GA. According to the judge, Willis will be able to remain on the case but with a catch: For the troubled district attorney to stay in her position, she must fire Nathan Wade.
Wade is the prosecutor she had an affair with and hired above market rate. He and Willis infamously took lavish vacations together, which he put on his business credit card. No proof was ever produced that reimbursements were made.
The uproar over what some are calling a "cowardly decision" has already begun, though it is a blow to Willis that things even got this far.
Despite some proclamations by hopeful people on the right, the idea that these proceedings would lead to the case being dismissed was never realistic. That wasn't an outcome on the table, and had Willis been removed, the case would have continued. Her staying as the face of the prosecution after taking this blow is probably the best-case scenario for the Trump defense. Had Willis been booted, it would have been embarrassing for her, but it would have possibly allowed someone more qualified to take over.
Unfortunately for Trump, this case isn't going away. Willis has been dirtied a bit, but eventually, the former president's defense will have to convince a jury these charges are a farce. The big question is whether the judge allows this to go to trial before the election, and if he doesn't, does it matter given it's a state case?
This is uncharted territory, and things could get very chaotic if Trump wins in November but a provably corrupt state prosecutor continues to try to throw him in jail.
