Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Monday that the state Supreme Court should not take up an appeal from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to be reinstated to the case against President-elect Donald Trump.
The Georgia Court of Appeals disqualified Willis from prosecuting the 2020 election interference case against Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants because of an apparent conflict of interest she created by hiring her then-boyfriend Nathan Wade as a special prosecutor.
“The Georgia Court of Appeals has ruled that the Fulton County DA created her own conflict and rightfully removed her from the case against President-elect Trump,” Carr said. “‘Lawfare’ has become far too common in American politics and it must end.”
“As such, I would encourage the Georgia Supreme Court to not take her appeal,” he added. “It’s our hope that the DA will now focus taxpayer resources on the successful prosecution of violent criminals in Fulton County.”
Please see my statement below on Fulton County DA Fani Willis. pic.twitter.com/2ATSw3t10V
— GA AG Chris Carr (@Georgia_AG) December 30, 2024
Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp echoed Carr’s sentiment.
“Agreed, [Georgia AG]! Georgians deserve safe communities and partisan politics out of our courtrooms,” Kemp posted on X.
Trump lawyer Steve Saddow also agreed with Carr, saying that a lower court had previously “abused its discretion by failing to disqualify Wade AND DA Willis” and that the Appeals Court was simply providing an “appropriate remedy.”
Willis claimed Carr’s statement was motivated by his desire to run for governor.
“If Mr. Carr cannot separate his ambition to become Governor from his duties as Attorney General, he should resign and focus on being a full-time candidate rather than serving as a constitutional officer sworn to uphold the Constitutions and laws of the United States and Georgia,” she said.
On December 19, the Georgia Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to disqualify Willis from the case.
“While we recognize that an appearance of impropriety generally is not enough to support disqualification, this is the rare case in which disqualification is mandated and no other remedy will suffice to restore public confidence in the integrity of these proceedings,” wrote Judge Trenton Brown.
Willis was accused of hiring Wade, who had little experience prosecuting cases, and paying him hundreds of thousands of dollars, which they used to fund lavish vacation trips.
