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Prosecutor Willis: “Personal relationship” with another accuser
Photo: Dennis Byron / AP
US District Attorney Fani Willis is leading a criminal investigation against Donald Trump in the state of Georgia for attempted election fraud - she is now under pressure herself for private reasons and has for the first time taken a concrete stance on allegations against her.
The 53-year-old had been accused of having a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, one of the other prosecutors in the case. Both would have illegally benefited financially because of this relationship. Willis now admitted a “personal relationship” with Wade. But she emphasized that there was no conflict of interest that would justify removing her from the case. In a court document filed Friday, Willis said she and Wade were not a couple when she hired him in November 2021.
Trump then declared on his online platform Truth Social that Willis had admitted to a "sexual relationship" with the special prosecutor whom she had hired "in consultation with the White House and the Justice Department" to bring him - Trump - down. The fraud is now over.
The allegations against Willis were originally made by the lawyers of a co-defendant, Trump's former campaign aide Mike Roman. They had asked the responsible judge, Scott McAfee, to remove Willis from the case. They also want all charges against their client to be dropped. Trump and other co-defendants joined the demand. McAfee had scheduled a hearing for mid-February and given Willis until Friday to respond. In her opinion, Willis asked the judge to deny the motions without a hearing.
Willis is seeking a quick start to the trial
Campaign worker Roman was indicted last year alongside former President Trump as one of 18 other defendants for alleged attempts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. Trump had lost to Democrat Joe Biden at the time and tried in various ways to subsequently change the election result. Among other things, he put pressure on political leaders at the federal level and in states such as Georgia. Some of Trump's former associates entered into a deal with prosecutors after the indictment and pleaded guilty.
Prosecutor Willis is aiming for a quick start to the trial, while Trump and his supporters want to delay the start of the trial as much as possible.
Trump is betting on the Republicans running for president again and has good chances: Trump clearly won the US Republican primaries in Iowa and New Hampshire.
eru/Reuters/dpa/AFP