Given the ongoing challenges she is likely to face, Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis may best help her case against former President Trump by taking a back seat after a judge described an "odor of mendacity" surrounding her testimony about a relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, legal experts said. Judge Scott McAfee did not conclude that Willis had perjured herself, nor that she received a material financial benefit from hiring or dating Wade. However, he said reasonable people "could easily be left to wonder" whether Willis resumed a romantic relationship with Wade or was receiving financial benefits unless one of them stepped aside. Wade resigned Friday, reports USA Today.
The Georgia case alleges that Trump and 18 co-defendants — four of whom have taken plea deals — participated in a conspiracy to steal the 2020 presidential election. While Willis can still prosecute the case, she may face challenges to her law license. She could also have to deal with other state regulators. Even before the decision, a conservative group asked the State Bar to start disciplinary proceedings against both Willis and Wade. "She survived this opinion, but this is not going away," said Andrew George, a trial lawyer and adjunct professor at the Georgetown Law Center. The scrutiny is going to only build and build because her presentation and Mr. Wade's presentation during this process were not convincing." McAfee said that, "Other forums or sources of authority such as the General Assembly, the Georgia State Ethics Commission, the State Bar of Georgia, the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, or the voters of Fulton County may offer feedback on any unanswered questions that linger." Experts said Willis is unlikely to face disbarment given the evidence available so far didn't definitively show she lied under oath.