Former Atlanta prosecutor says he expects Trump to be tried in Georgia even if he wins the White House

CNN

(CNN) — Former special prosecutor Nathan Wade said he believed Donald Trump would ‘absolutely’ be tried in Georgia in the 2020 election subversion case — even if he won a second term and was in the House by then White.

Wade resigned from the case in March following allegations of an inappropriate romantic relationship with Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis, but said in an exclusive interview on CNN’s “The Source” that he remained close friends with She.

The question of whether a sitting U.S. president can be forced to stand trial on state-level criminal charges has never been debated. Wade said in the interview Wednesday that he expects prosecutors and defense attorneys to face this unprecedented scenario if Trump wins the 2024 election.

Asked if Trump could be tried in the Peach State during a second term, Wade responded, “I believe he can.” »

“I don’t think it…it looks good to the rest of the world. But I certainly don’t think there’s anything that can stop that from happening,” Wade said.

Wade’s interview comes as the Georgia Court of Appeals stayed the election subversion conspiracy case against Trump and his co-defendants until a panel of judges decides whether Willis should be removed from the case . Trump, who is seeking to delay legal issues until at least 2025, has argued that her affair with Wade should also disqualify her.

The court’s recent decision to stay the case is the latest indication that a trial will not take place before the November presidential election. The appeals court is expected to rule on the disqualification issue by March 2025, although it could issue its decision sooner.

Willis, in a new filing Wednesday, asked the state appeals court to deny an appeal of trial Judge Scott McAfee’s initial order due to a “lack of sufficient evidence.”

“With the case now on the docket, the State of Georgia, through Atlanta Judicial Circuit Attorney Fani T. Willis, requests that the appeal be dismissed as improvidently granted due to lack of sufficient evidence, based on the express factual findings of the trial court, to support vacating the order at issue,” the prosecutor’s office filing states.

This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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