Ashleigh Merchant is not a household name but is a well-respected Georgia attorney. She’s not out of her league, in over her head, or outside her competence in representing opposition researcher and Georgia defendant Michael Roman, one of those named in the Fulton County, Georgia RICO case against Trump.
Given her stature, skill, and reputation, Mrs. Merchant would not file a salacious motion to dismiss without the receipts.
Among the salacious allegations and one for which Merchant clearly has the receipts, the special counsel hired by Willis met with the White House in Washington about the Trump RICO case. It provides some evidence that Willis did, in fact, coordinate with the Biden team to take out Trump.
We know this because the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, filed for reimbursement and documented a meeting with the White House Counsel about the case.
Merchant also alleges that Wade has no RICO experience. From the motion:
Undersigned counsel knows the special prosecutor and has researched his litigation experience. That research reveals that the special prosecutor has never tried a felony RICO case. The State of Georgia and the City of Atlanta has several lawyers who specialize in the prosecuting and defending RICO cases. Despite having access to these resources, why would the district attorney, instead, appoint someone who has never tried a felony RICO case, particularly in a case with such national significance as this one?
With no RICO experience, why did Willis choose Wade? Because they were having an affair. From the motion:
The district attorney chose to appoint her romantic partner, who at all times relevant to this prosecution has been a married man. Admittedly, this is a bold allegation considering it is directed to one of the most powerful people in the State of Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney. Nevertheless, the district attorney’s fame and power do not change the fact that she decided to appoint as the special prosecutor a person with whom she had a personal relationship and who is now leading the day-to-day prosecution of this case. Even assuming this type of nepotism might be forgiven in the abstract, a review of the amount of money that the special prosecutor has been paid by the district attorney and the personal activities of the district attorney and the special prosecutor during the pendency of this prosecution shed light on just how self-serving this arrangement has been.
Merchant alleges that Wade and Willis could have engaged in fraud given payments made to Wade and then gifts bought by Wade for Willis. Merchant argues that Willis and Wade “have been engaged in an improper, clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case, which has resulted in the special prosecutor, and, in turn, the district attorney, profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of the taxpayers.”
Merchant argues that because Willis and Wade were in a relationship, Willis could not properly appoint Wade, rendering both the special prosecution and everything derived from it improper. In fact, Merchant points out that Willis never sought county permission to hire a special prosecutor.
Merchant seeks the dismissal of
the criminal indictment in its entirety against Mr. Roman on the grounds that the entire prosecution is invalid and unconstitutional because the Fulton County district attorney never had legal authority to appoint the special prosecutor, who assisted in obtaining both grand jury indictments. As a result, both indictments contain structural errors and irreparable defects and should be dismissed in their entirety as to Mr. Roman.
These explosive allegations raise huge ethical issues about the case and the choice to hire Wade. They are made more notable because of the caliber of the lawyer filing the motion.
Notably, Willis did not deny the allegations publicly but said she’d answer through the court process.
A judge sealed Nathan Wade’s divorce file, but Merchant claims she was able to review the case file before it was sealed and copied relevant documents. Notably, the file was sealed without a hearing, which appears to be against Georgia law. The file should probably be unsealed.
Willis will have to address these concerns under oath.
If proven, the judge very likely could toss the case. Remember, Willis is already prohibited from investigating the Lieutenant Governor in Georgia because she raised funds for his Democrat opponent. She’s already shown ethical lapses.
You can read the whole motion here. As an aside, Merchant’s writing is very easy for non-lawyers to understand — another sign of competence.
Was Joe Biden Ever a Bus Driver?
On an unrelated note, yesterday, in Charleston, SC, Joe Biden declared he started the Civil Rights Movement. Was he the guy who told Rosa Parks where to sit?
Also, when the Hamas supporters started screaming, the church congregation started changing “Four More Years.” Where is all the bellyaching about “Christian Nationalism?” or does it only count when white Republicans politic in a church?
