Legal Expert Says Fani Willis Should ‘Step Aside'

In a statement made during the broadcast of CNN's AC360 on Friday, Elie Honig, a senior legal analyst for CNN and a former prosecutor, suggested that the Democratic district attorney for Fulton County, Fani Willis, should "step aside."

The CNN analyst argued that the attorney needed to withdraw her participation in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump as Breitbart News reported.

This is in response to her own recent statements in response to recent allegations, comments which many believe dodged crucial questions on a possible conflict of interest and also the “wildly improper statements that she’s made publicly that are going to prejudice the jury pool here.”

Analysis on Willis

Guest host Jim Sciutto asked, “Very quickly on Fani Willis, should she recuse herself and step down after all this?”

Honig answered, “Absolutely. I think if she doesn’t do it voluntarily, there’s a good chance the judge forces her to do it. I read her response today."

"It doesn’t, in my mind, answer the key questions, not about the relationship, it doesn’t matter to me if they’re having a romantic relationship or just some other relationship," he added.

"But about the flow of money, the potential conflict of interest, and her, I believe, wildly improper statements that she’s made publicly that are going to prejudice the jury pool here," Honig continued.

He went on, "I think she should step aside, and if she doesn’t, I think there’s a good chance the judge forces it.”

The Statement

Willis acknowledged having a "personal relationship" with a special prosecutor she retained in connection with the Georgia election interference case involving former President Donald Trump in a court filing on Friday. However, she maintained her belief that there are no valid reasons to rescind the case or absolve her from the prosecution.

In November 2021, Willis retained the services of special prosecutor Nathan Wade to aid in her inquiry into potential legal violations committed by Trump after the 2020 election.

Since August, when Trump and eighteen others were indicted, Wade has presided over the legal team assembled by Willis to pursue prosecution of the case.

After nearly four weeks, since the allegations first surfaced in a filing by a defendant in the election case, neither Willis nor Wade had directly addressed the aforementioned matters prior to this filing.

Wade stated in an affidavit attached to the filing that he and the district attorney had formed a personal relationship in 2022, in addition to their "professional association and friendship."