Donald Trump's legal team vows to fight Fulton County judge's decision allowing Fani Willis to stay on the election case if she cuts Nathan Wade

Former President Donald Trump's legal team says the fight is not over after the decision Fulton County DA Fani Willis will be allowed to stay on the Trump election interference case in Georgia as long as she cuts ties with prosecutor Nathan Wade.

The ex-president's lead defense counsel on the case, Steve Sadow, released a statement on the judge's decision, saying they 'believe that it did not afford appropriate significance to the prosecutorial misconduct of Willis and Wade.' 

It goes on to list 'financial benefits, testifying untruthfully about when their personal relationship began, as well as Willis’ extrajudicial MLK “church speech,” where she played the race card and falsely accused the defendants and their counsel of racism.'

'We will use all legal options available as we continue to fight to end this case, which should never have been brought in the first place,' Sadow continued.

Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee made the consequential decision as he considered whether Willis should be disqualified from the case involving Donald Trump and 18 codefendants.

Former President Trump has blasted the Willis as 'corrupt' and slammed her relationship with 'lover' Wade as lawyers tried to get her removed from the case

Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee presides in court, Feb. 27, 2024, in Atlanta

McAfee had self-imposed a deadline of this week after holding bombshell hearings featuring testimony by Willis herself about her 'romantic' relationship with Wade.

The ruling on whether Willis should be disqualified has high-stakes implications for Trump and his codefendants.

A disqualification of Willis could have thrown off the schedule for the Georgia case at a time when some of Trump's other trials are in peril or could have led to it being thrown out altogether.

In the 23-page ruling McAfee slammed Willis for a 'tremendous lapse in judgment' and acting in an 'unprofessional manner' when she gave evidence in his court.

But he said not enough evidence had been shown to establish her romantic relationship with Wade amounted to an 'actual conflict' of interest which would lead to her removal.

Trump and the other defendants are charged with a racketeering conspiracy to overturn the state of Georgia's election results in 2020 after it voted for Joe Biden.

DA Fani Willis at a hearing to determine whether she should be removed from the Trump election interference case on March 1

Judge McFee ruled Willis could stay on the case as long as she cuts prosecutor Nathan Wade. 

The judge and clashing attorneys explored when the affair between the two prosecutors began and whether it posed a conflict of interest or the appearance of one in a series of sensational hearings that featured frustrated testimony by Willis.

She was confronted by defense lawyers and there was conflicting testimony about whether the couple were involved in a 'romantic' relationship before Wade joined her team in 2021.

The hearings also featured details about cruises and luxury travel the pair engaged in – and whether it constituted any sort of improper benefit to Willis that allowed her to gain financially from the prosecution of Trump and his allies.

Willis speaking at a press conference alongside prosecutor Nathan Wade after a grand jury brought back indictments against the former president last August

In his ruling Judge McAfee said: 'No ruling of mine is ever gong to be based on politics.' 

His ruling goes through the various trips the pair took, including to Aruba and Napa Valley. But he found Willis did not get a ‘direct financial benefit’ from her decision to hire Wade.

He also essentially accepted her claims that she reimbursed Wade in cash for expenses during their travels.

‘Such a reimbursement practice may be unusual and the lack of any documentary corroboration understandably concerning.

'Yet the testimony withstood direct contradiction, was corroborated by other evidence (for example, her payment of airfare for two on the 2022 Miami trip), and was not so incredible as to be inherently unbelievable. However, as the District Attorney herself acknowledged, no ledger exists.