Georgia Judge Scott McAfee ruled on Friday that Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis can remain on the Trump-Election RICO case provided she sack Nathan Wade. MSNBC’s Morning Joe reacted to the news by breathing a sigh of relief, accusing the Trump team of hypocrisy, and labeling him a “fascist.”
After reading from McAfee’s decision that said in part “the appearance of impropriety remains and must be handled as previously outlined before the prosecution can proceed, co-host Mika Brzezinski lamented, “And there is where the Trump team can feast on the words inside these decisions.”
The job of a defense lawyer is simply to defend your client, but Brzezinski tried to make some political argument about hypocrisy, “Of course, this is a team that is defending a man whose words were heard on Access Hollywood saying he can grab women by the genitals, a man who has been accused of rape multiple times and, by E. Jean Carroll, found guilty in a civil court—liable, liable, I should say—of sexual assault.”
She added, “The judge defining the actions, though, actually tantamount to rape and also hush money payments not just to one—one is in an indictment, a criminal indictment—, but there are reportedly hush money payments to many other women. This is the man this team will be going after, defending as they go after Fani Willis’s improper behavior and they will run with that.”
About half an hour later, Brzezinski welcomed legal analysts Danny Cevallos and Andrew Weissman to the program and informed the cast that, “There is a Trump statement on the breaking news.”
Co-host Joe Scarborough threw journalistic ethics out the window as he interrupted, “Yeah, I don’t care. Danny, what are your thoughts on the judge's decision? Really, seriously, like, I don't want to read fascist propaganda.”
The actual statement from Trump’s lawyer was a perfectly normal response, respectfully disagreeing with McAfee’s decision while promising to appeal:
Comment of Steve Sadow, lead defense counsel for President Trump in the Fulton County, GA case, on the Court's disqualification ruling:
— Steve Sadow (@stevesadow) March 15, 2024
"While respecting the Court’s decision, we believe that the it did not afford appropriate significance to the prosecutorial misconduct of…
Later, The.Ink publisher Anand Giridharadas echoed Brzezinski’s earlier claims, “I just want to put it in perspective. This is a mistake around a loving, consensual relationship in a case against the guy who has been found liable for rape and who has been credibly accused in many circumstances of non-consensual relations with women.”
The problem wasn’t that Willis had an affair. It was that she abused her power by hiring the man she was having the affair with so she could reap a financial benefit. By keeping Willis on the case, but insisting she remove Wade, the judge tried to come up with a middle approach, but Carroll’s lawsuit against Trump has no bearing on whether or not Willis abused her power.
Here is a transcript for the March 15 show:
MSNBC Morning Joe
3/15/2024
8:56 AM ET
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Going back to Lisa Rubin, Lisa, page 23, sort of summing it up and summing up the problem here moving forward, “after consideration of the record established on these motions, the court finds the allegations and evidence legally insufficient to support a finding of an actual conflict of interest. However, the appearance of impropriety remains and must be handled as previously outlined before the prosecution can proceed. The defendants’ motions are therefore granted in part and denied in part.”
And there is where the Trump team can feast on the words inside these decisions and, of course, this is a team that is defending a man whose words were heard on Access Hollywood saying he can grab women by the genitals, a man who has been accused of rape multiple times and, by E. Jean Carroll, found guilty in a civil court—liable, liable, I should say— of sexual assault.
The judge defining the actions, though, actually tantamount to rape and also hush money payments not just to one—one is in an indictment, a criminal indictment—, but there are reportedly hush money payments to many other women. This is the man this team will be going after, defending as they go after Fani Willis’s improper behavior and they will run with that.
…
9:31 AM ET
BRZEZINSKI: That's Fani Willis back in January, a speech that she made right before MLK Day and that speech, the judge in his order criticized, among other things, in terms of how she conducted herself and this relationship, questions it raised, but in end in this order, the judge concludes he will be keeping her on the Georgia election case. Joining us now, MSNBC legal analyst Danny Cevallos, also with us NBC News legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Andrew Weissman. There is a Trump statement on the breaking news.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: Yeah, I don’t care. Danny, what are your thoughts on the judge's decision? Really, seriously, like, I don't want to read fascist propaganda.
…
9:48 AM ET
SCARBOROUGH: I would argue if this is a racketeering case to end democracy, which I believe it is, then you've got to take extra care, right?
ANAND GIRIDHARADAS: Yeah, I agree with that. I just want to put it in perspective. This is a mistake around a loving, consensual relationship in a case against the guy who has been found liable for rape and who has been credibly—
SCARBOROUGH: Right.
GIRIDHARADAS: --accused in many circumstances of non-consensual relations with women. So, again, they--
SCARBOROUGH: And also a guy, as you said, who is trying to end American democracy.
GIRIDHARADAS: Correct.
SCARBOROUGH: Let's just say trying to end American democracy, period.
