The Rich Zeoli Show- Hour 1:

• Ella Lee and Zach Schonfeld writes: “Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (D) acknowledged developing a ‘personal relationship’ with the top prosecutor in former President Trump’s Georgia criminal case in a new court filing Friday, but she said it was no reason for her to step aside. Trump co-defendant Michael Roman last month first accused Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade of having romantic ties, claiming it rendered the far-reaching Georgia election interference indictment ‘fatally defective.’” Earlier this week, Willis insisted that she would not step down from the 34-count election crimes case, against Donald Trump despite the obvious conflict of interest and ethics violations. Willis’ office has paid Wade an estimated $650,000. She is also alleged to have gone on numerous, extravagant vacations with Wade. You can read the full report here: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4444803-fani-willis-trump-georgia-prosecutor-relationship/
• In a New York Times editorial from last month, Clark D. Cunningham—a law professor at Georgia State University—explains the legal consequences for the improper relationship between lead prosecutor in the Donald Trump Georgia election interference criminal case, Nathan Wade, and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Cunningham writes: “Mr. Wade was very involved in both the special grand jury investigation and the current criminal case, despite an absence of obvious qualifications. Although Ms. Willis has defended her decision to hire Mr. Wade, his previous experience as a prosecutor appears to have been largely limited to misdemeanors. The amount paid to Mr. Wade so far is substantial yet Mr. Wade’s billing invoices obtained by Mr. Roman’s lawyer are not well documented and don’t always offer, for example, itemized time worked in increments of less than one day. If Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade are dismissed by Judge McAfee, it will be up to a state agency, the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, to appoint a prosecutor to take over from Ms. Willis. And that’s where things could really go off the rails. Take one precedent: On July 25, 2022, Ms. Willis was disqualified from prosecuting Burt Jones, who was then a state senator, after she hosted a fund-raiser for Mr. Jones’s eventual opponent in the race for lieutenant governor. Eighteen months later, the PACGA still hasn’t appointed a special prosecutor, and Mr. Jones, now lieutenant governor, has not even been indicted. Delay is not even the worst possible outcome for the case if Ms. Willis is disqualified. A special prosecutor could decide to reduce or dismiss charges against some or all of the defendants, including Mr. Trump.” You can read the full editorial here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/24/opinion/fani-willis-trump-georgia.html
• Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has admitted to having a personal relationship with lead prosecutor in the Donald Trump Georgia election interference criminal case, Nathan Wade—though she denies any wrongdoing. There is a hearing scheduled for February 15th to determine the trial’s next steps.
• Today is Groundhog Day! Interestingly, PETA is calling for replacing the groundhog with a simple coin toss to determine whether there will be six more weeks of winter. According to calculations, since 1887, Punxsutawney Phil has accurately predicted the winter weather just 39% of the time.
• Luis Martinez of ABC News reports: “U.S. military strikes in retaliation for a deadly attack on a U.S. base in Jordan have begun in Syria, a U.S. official confirms.” You can find updates on this developing story here: https://abcnews.go.com/International/live-updates/us-airstrikes-iran-militias/us-military-strikes-have-started-in-syria-official-says-106908576?id=106747137
• Actor Carl Weathers passed away at age 76. He’s best known for his role as Apollo Creed in the Rocky franchise—and also starred in Predator and Happy Gilmore. Most recently, Weathers received an Emmy nomination for his performance in the Disney/Star Wars series The Mandalorian.