2024-03-15 16:11:44
10:50 a.m. ET, March 15, 2024
Analysis: Fani Willis can remain on the election interference case, but the judge’s ruling was still damaging
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on and prosecute the Georgia 2020 election interference racketeering case, a judge ruled Friday — but not without admonishing Willis for “making bad choices” in her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, and criticizing her fiery testimony last month as “unprofessional.”
Former US Attorney Michael J. Moore told CNN that Willis emerges from the ruling potentially facing headwinds in arguing before Judge Scott McAfee going forward.
“The judge’s order, while allowing the DA to remain on the case (provided she removes Wade), is in no way an exoneration of the DA’s conduct,” Moore said.
“No lawyer wants to have a judge find that their sworn statements made in court were unprofessional or not sufficiently credible for the court to take them at face value. It is through that lens that the judge will view future representations made by the DA.”
“While Willis can remain in the case, I think this judge may view her future arguments with some skepticism, furthering my belief that this case will not be tried before the end of this year,” Moore said.
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig agreed the district attorney did not escape unscathed.
“While the judge makes several scalding findings towards the DA — ‘tremendous lapse in judgment’ and ‘odor of mendacity,’ among others — he ultimately found the defendants did not produce clear enough proof of an actual, specific financial conflict of interest,” Honig said.
“So while the DA takes on substantial collateral damage in the ruling, she has survived, and will remain on the case.”
CNN’s Jason Morris and Dan Berman contributed reporting to this post.
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