BEIJING, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A state attorney who hosted a case in which former U.S. Republican Donald Trump allegedly tried to overturn the 2020 election was exposed to "peachy news." The New York Times said on the 17th that this could lead to a change in the entire case.
Attempted Comeback Case "Soap Opera?
In the 2020 U.S. ** election, Trump won less than 1Lost by 20,000 votes to then-Democratic candidate, Joseph Biden. On January 2, 2021, Trump called Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, saying he wanted to "find" enough votes to overturn the defeat.
Police stand guard outside the Fulton County Detention Center in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., Aug. 24, 2023. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Matthew Pendry) Fani Willis, a female prosecutor in Fulton County, Georgia, has led the investigation for more than two years with this clue, formally filed criminal charges against Trump and 19 other defendants in August last year, and has so far made four defendants plead guilty. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 13 counts.
However, the relationship between Willis and Nathan Wade, another prosecutor handling the case, has recently attracted attention from the United States. According to the Associated Press, the lawyer of one of the defendants in the case first broke the news that Willis and Wade were in love, alleging that Willis had unjustly profited from the case and paid Wade a high salary, and the two used Wade's money to go on vacation abroad.
Wade has reportedly been paid more than $650,000 since November 2021, when Willis appointed Wade to co-author the case.
Trump and other defendants have identified unjust enrichment and interest connections in the case and sought to remove the entire prosecution team. To that end, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has held multiple hearings since the 12th of this month.
This is a photo of a demonstration in front of the Capitol by supporters of the then Trump in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2021. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Jie According to the Associated Press, the live broadcast of a large number of people's hearings was "sometimes almost dramatic", bringing "a soap opera feeling" to the entire "attempted reversal case".
According to the New York Times, the two sides clashed fiercely at the hearing, and a lot of details were revealed about Willis and Wade traveling together to Belize and other places for vacation.
Willis insisted that her relationship with Wade, who fell in love in early 2022, after the latter's involvement in the Trump case, and broke up last summer, was not grounds for her replacement.
Willis reminded in his statement at the hearing on the 15th: "These people (Trump and other defendants) are on trial for trying to steal the 2020 election!" No matter how hard you try to get me to the dock, it's not me who is on trial. Willis did not continue to attend the hearing on the 16th. According to the Associated Press, this is to avoid more deep privacy encounters.
On January 25, in New York, the motorcade of former Trump of the United States waited outside the courthouse. Xinhua News Agency (photo by Guo Ke) The focus is "chaotic shift".
Fulton County Superior Court Judge McAfee said on the 16th that he would not rule on whether to remove Willis and his case-handling team until more hearings are held on the 23rd or later.
According to the New York Times, Willis did not disclose his relationship with Wade at the beginning of the Trump proceedings, causing the focus of the case to "shift in confusion." If she is eventually replaced, Pete Scandarakis, executive director of the Georgia Board of Attorneys, will decide who will be the replacement prosecutor, who will have the power to decide whether to drop the case.
Richard Burnt, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and a former ethics lawyer at the White House, said the evidence so far was not enough to remove Willis, but that "in this case, it would be better for Willis to voluntarily resign and Wade to withdraw from the case."
According to the New York Times, Willis was weakened or even removed in favor of Trump. Several U.S. "swing states" are opening criminal investigations into Trump's alleged attempt to overturn the 2020** results, but only Georgia has formally filed charges.
The Associated Press said that even if the new prosecutor who replaced Willis decides to move forward with the proceedings, it is unlikely that the "attempted reversal" will be in November this year, that is, before the U.S. election. Oceans).