Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee found that the “appearance of impropriety” resulting from Willis’ romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade necessitates either Willis and her office exiting the case or just Wade, whom she appointed to lead it.

McAfee further commented, “As the case progresses, reasonable members of the public could easily wonder whether financial exchanges have persisted, resulting in potential benefits to the District Attorney, or even if the romantic relationship has resumed. As long as Wade remains involved, this unnecessary perception will persist.”

Willis is now likely to remove Wade to ensure the case continues without further delay, but this action will certainly cast an even larger shadow of doubt over the legitimacy of the prosecution.

This motion originated when one of Trump’s co-defendants in the election interference case, former Trump White House and campaign staffer Michael Roman, filed a motion for Willis to be disqualified and the criminal case to be dismissed due to her “improper” personal relationship with Wade.

Both Trump and Roman have maintained their innocence in the case, which alleges they conspired with others to overturn the election results in the state.

While it’s unlikely that Willis will remove herself from the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and several co-defendants, her performance at the hearing, along with the appearance of impropriety, casts even more doubt on the legitimacy of Willis’s prosecution against Trump.

This follows another significant ruling on Thursday, where U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon issued a two-page order noting that the Trump team had raised “various arguments warranting serious consideration in Jack Smith’s classified documents case. Although she found that a dismissal of the charges was not merited, she indicated that the issue of vastness can be raised “in connection with jury-instruction briefing and/or other appropriate motions.”

There remain unanswered questions about when that case might proceed to trial, and a separate motion about whether Trump was permitted under the Presidential Records Act to retain the documents after he left the White House remains pending.

Stay tuned to www.DCPatriot.com for more on these developing stories.