In a latest development in the ongoing legal battle, the Fulton County District Attorney's office has urged the Georgia appeals court to dismiss Donald Trump's attempt to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from the election fraud case against the former president. The court papers argue that the allegations of a conflict of interest involving former lead prosecutor Nathan Wade, with whom Willis had an affair, have become irrelevant since Wade is no longer involved in the case.

Trump, along with eight other defendants accused of unlawfully overturning the outcome of Georgia's 2020 presidential vote, have appealed to the Georgia Court of Appeals to remove the Atlanta prosecutor from the case, citing an impermissible conflict of interest due to her relationship with Wade. However, Willis' office contends that any accusations of misconduct against her are now moot, as Wade stepped down as special prosecutor on March 15 following a ruling by Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee.

Judge McAfee had raised concerns about the "significant appearance of impropriety" regarding the involvement of both Willis and Wade in the case. The judge's ruling required only one of them to continue in order to address these concerns. Willis' office argued that since Wade has withdrawn from the case, any potential questions about future impropriety are no longer relevant.

In defense of both Willis and Wade, it was testified during several days of hearings that they began dating only after Wade had already been hired and working on the Trump investigation for several months. The duo also rebutted claims that Willis financially benefitted from their relationship, stating that they split the cost of their travel expenses, with Willis reimbursing Wade in cash.

Willis' office further emphasized that the arguments behind the motion to disqualify her have lost credibility after the testimony of star witness Terrence Bradley, who was disregarded by Judge McAfee due to credibility issues. The defendants were required to prove that the district attorney had an improper personal stake in their prosecution, but without the testimony of Bradley, their theory lacks substantial evidence, Willis' office asserted.

Steve Sadow, Trump's lawyer, referred to the motion as a "last ditch effort to stop any appellate review of DA Willis' misconduct." He accused the state of deliberately omitting Judge McAfee's ruling, which mentioned an "odor of mendacity" that remained from the hearing testimony of Willis and the state's witnesses. Sadow noted that the judge also raised "reasonable questions" about the veracity of Willis and Wade's testimony.

The Georgia Court of Appeals has placed a hold on the criminal case against Trump until a ruling is made on the motion to disqualify Willis. The scheduled appellate arguments tentatively set for October 4 indicate that the trial against the former president will likely be postponed until after the November 5 presidential election.

During an interview on CNN's "The Source" hosted by Kaitlan Collins, Wade was interrupted by his media consultant when asked about the timeline of his relationship with Willis. Following the consultation, Wade stated that he could not answer the question due to the pending Court of Appeals case, expressing his desire not to jeopardize the proceedings or the court's ruling.

The final decision by the Georgia appeals court regarding Trump's request to remove Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the election fraud case is eagerly awaited as the legal battle continues to unfold.