WATCH: Legal Expert Jonathan Turley Reacts To Ruling In Fani Willis Disqualification Case - 'It's Like Finding Two People In A Bank Vault And Taking One Off To Jail'

On Friday, Judge Scott McAfee issued his ruling in the disqualification case against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. McAfee, who previously donated to Willis during her campaign and worked under her at one point, ruled that special prosecutor Nathan Wade must be removed from the case or Fani Willis and her team must be removed. In response to the ruling, legal expert Jonathan Turley criticized the decision, explaining that the verdict was "disjointed" and allowed Willis to escape consequences.

"This avoided the cliff, but it did not avoid the questions that will inevitably come up. It's like finding two people in a bank vault and taking one off to jail," Turley said. "The appearance problem that the judge identified with regard to Wade was directly related to his relationship with Willis. They both testified in the same way. They were the two parts of this relationship, and yet only one of them was disqualified. So that's going to lead to these questions. Why should Willis escape that same penalty? The opinion leaves us feeling like the court went and shot the wounded."

Turley then explained that politics could have played into the judge's decision, given that he is up for reelection in May. The judge, however, has denied that theory, with McAfee telling WSB-TV on Thursday, "The message I want to convey is no ruling of mine is ever going to be based on politics. I'm going to be following the law the best I understand it. I just focus on the job that I'm doing. I'm incredibly grateful for the last year that I've been able to do this. I took this job not because I wanted to score partisan political points; I didn't go looking for the spotlight. I did it because I love the law, giving people their day in court and being efficient about it."

Despite the potential for politics to have potentially influenced the judge's decision, Turley praised the judge for handling the case in a "fair and professional way." He added that it takes courage to issue this ruling because voters in Fulton County, many of whom are Democrats, are not going to like that McAfee disqualified Wade and legitimized the unethical behavior that Willis engaged in. "The problem is the disjointed aspect of the opinion itself. It doesn't really hold together that well," Turley explained. "The big question was, what is the standard? Is it just an appearance, or do you have to show an actual conflict? He indicates that it is indeed the appearance standard, and if that's the case, I don't see how Willis can escape disqualification."

WATCH:

Jonathan Turley reacts to Judge McAfee's ruling that Fani either recuse herself or remove lover Nathan Wade from the case:

"It's like finding two people in a bank vault and taking one off to jail."

"They both testified in the same way. They were the two parts to this… pic.twitter.com/90FR9GekWq

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 15, 2024

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