Georgia judge just made a 'telling' move about evidence in Trump's conspiracy case: expert
For Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee, the evidence window is closed.
As the judge readies to rule at the end of the week on whether to disqualify Georgia DA Fani Willis based on misconduct charges that she profited from a clandestine romance with her special counsel subordinate Nathan Wade — the defense attorneys have been turned away from being able to admit more evidence.
And for MSNBC's legal correspondent Katie Phang this signals that the Fulton County judge has made up his mind and isn't going to change.
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"Judges also have to consider the admissibility of that evidence, and the hearsay issues in these proffers raise a lot questions," writes Phang. "Ultimately, that he has not yet reopened the evidence suggests that McAfee has made up his mind, and the introduction of additional testimony will not move the needle on that decision."
She notes that since Feb. 27, "several defendants" made attempts to submit more of what they claim is evidence against Willis and Wade, who testified under oath that their relationship didn't begin until 2022. However some of the over a dozen co-defendants in the state's RICO election subversion case, one of them is former President Donald Trump, maintain that they became lovers as far back as 2019.
Phang mentions co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro, who served as a Trump attorney, allegedly had “several conversations" with Wade's divorce attorney and law partner Terrence Bradley claiming "he had personal knowledge of the relationship" of Willis-Wade.
Co-defendant David Shafer tried to suggest that local district attorney, Cindi Lee Yeager, verified she had “numerous, in-person and other conversations" with Bradley that dealt with the couple's relationship.
"And despite these proffers, McAfee has declined to reopen the evidence, and I think his choice is telling," Phang notes. "Perhaps we will get the answer in his final ruling on the disqualification motion, but in my opinion, I think it’s because McAfee doesn’t need that additional evidence to make his decision."