Chuck Rosenberg - a legal analyst for MSNBC - says that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ought "to consider removing herself from" the criminal case that she has brought against former President Donald Trump.
Rosenberg said as much during an MSNBC appearance that he made on Thursday.
This comes as Willis is facing allegations of having an improper relationship with Nathan Wade - the man whom she chose to prosecute Trump. It is further alleged that Willis awarded Wade a lucrative contract and that Wade used some of the funds to take Willis on various trips and vacations.
Rosenberg, during his MSNBC appearance, reacted to the testimony that was provided during a recent Georgia hearing on the matter. This included testimony from Willis herself.
Mediaite reports, "Earlier Thursday, former 'good friend' of Willis, Robin Yeartie, contradicted Willis’ claim about when her affair with Wade began."
The outlet adds, "Under oath, Yeartie testified that she had 'no doubt' the relationship began in 2019, not in 2021, after Wade was hired to work on the Trump case."
This is where Rosenberg picked up during his MSNBC appearance.
"There is conflicting testimony. A woman named Robin Yeartie testified earlier this morning that she had been close friends with Willis and that she knew, saw, and observed that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade had a romantic relationship. She described seeing sort of the things you might see when two people are dating. You know, affection," he said.
He added, "Contrast that with what Mr. Wade just said on the stand, which was that they did have a romantic relationship, but it did not start as early as Ms. Yerdy said it started. It started, to your point, after he was hired by the district attorney on a contractual basis to work on this case. So, what is it that mean? You have two different stories."
Rosenberg went on to say that things are "not going well for the state." He said that while it is still possible that things "could turn out okay," it is also possible that things "might turn out worse."
Rosenberg then highlighted the special duties of a prosecutor, such as Willis.
From a 1935 U.S. Supreme Court case, Rosenberg read:
The prosecutor is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy but of a sovereignty whose obligation is to govern impartially and that that obligation is as compelling as its obligation to govern as all and whose interests, therefore, is not that it shall win a case but that justice shall be done.
Accordingly, Rosenberg argued that Willis ought "to consider removing herself" from the Trump case.
He concluded:
Prosecutors have a higher obligation. It’s not personal. It’s not egotistical, it’s not about you, it’s about the office and the pursuit of justice. To your point, it might be appropriate for Ms. Willis to consider removing herself from this case now and turn the reins over to a senior official in the district attorney’s office and have him or her handle it. It’s getting ugly, it’s getting messy, and my guess is it is not going to get better.
