Lawyers for former President Donald Trump filed an appeal on Monday calling for the dismissal of indictment in the election interference case.
The brief, filed in the Georgia Court of Appeals, is seeking to overturn a lower court's decision not to dismiss the criminal case against Trump in Fulton County. Lead defense attorney Steve Sadow has argued that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should have been disqualified due to alleged misconduct.
"Make no mistake: Willis, by persistently untethering herself from the legal, ethical, and professional constraints of her powerful position, has decimated the integrity of these proceedings. Sadly, the circumstances that require her disqualification are entirely self-inflicted wounds that were within her power to avoid. DA Willis disqualified herself," the brief states.
In January, Trump co-defendant Michael Roman filed a motion alleging that Willis gave special prosecutor Nathan Wade unusually large sums for his work despite his inexperience, and then used those payments to fund lavish vacations for the couple. Defense attorneys for Trump argued that the romantic relationship Willis had with Wade, coupled with their financial corruption, should have been grounds to have them removed from the case.
Wade was ultimately dismissed but Willis has remained.
"President Trump has filed his opening brief in the Georgia Court of Appeals. The brief persuasively argues that the trial court should have dismissed the case and should have disqualified DA Willis for her misconduct in forensic procedures and the appearance of impropriety due to her personal relationship with former Special Assistant DA Wade, who was also a taxpayer-funded financial benefactor. We are optimistic that the Court will decide the appeal favorably in our favor," Sadow said in a statement.
In August 2023, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others, accusing them of engaging in various acts to overturn the 2020 presidential election outcome in Georgia.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.