A financial disclosure has unearthed a previously unknown connection between Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the Daily Caller reports.

According to the report, Judge McAfee, who is presently presiding over the high-profile case against former President Donald Trump, made a donation of $150 to Willis' campaign in June 2020. McAfee's wife also made donations of $99 to Willis' campaign in 2020 and $101 in 2018.

The donation, recorded on June 18, 2020, is detailed in a comprehensive Campaign Contribution Disclosure Report for Willis' campaign for District Attorney, making evident the intricate relationships that exist within the legal and political spheres of Fulton County.

Judge McAfee, who took his oath on February 1, 2023, after being appointed by Georgia's Republican Governor Brian Kemp, contributed to Willis' campaign while he was serving as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Department of Justice.

The donation, though small, has raised questions about the judiciary's independence, especially in a case as nationally significant as the prosecution of a former President. While the contribution may seem inconsequential in the grand landscape of political donations, the timing and the roles of the involved parties have led to some scrutiny.

According to the New York Times , Judge McAfee once worked under Fani Willis as well. At the age of 34, Judge McAfee quickly climbed the ranks in Georgia's legal circles since starting his career at the Fulton County District Attorney's Office.

His initial role involved managing the preliminary phases of felony cases, eventually leading to a promotion to the complex trial division, then under the leadership of Willis. This came from a former district attorney and another attorney who were part of the office at that time, according to the Times.

The fact that Mr. McAfee worked under Ms. Willis, a Democrat, might provide an opening for critics of the investigation, but Mr. McAfee also has conservative bona fides. While at the University of Georgia’s law school, he was the vice president of the Federalist Society, a conservative law group, and was the treasurer for the Law Republicans, which was described as serving “conservative, moderate and libertarian” law students, according to rosters of student group officers. He graduated in 2013.

Willis, who took on the role of district attorney in 2021 after Judge McAfee had moved on from the office, launched the extensive investigation into Trump and his associates concerning the 2020 election. This investigation resulted in a grand jury returning an indictment against Trump.

Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney and legal analyst Philip Holloway informed the Daily Caller that McAfee's contribution was "nominal." However, he mentioned that it should have been made known to the defendants so they could assess "whether they believed that amounted to a conflict of interest on the part of the judge."

"The donation itself is more or less a token amount and was made prior to his becoming a judge," he stated. “But failure to disclose to the defendants a political donation to the prosecutor can be seen as a present appearance of a conflict of interest. Judges are required to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

The disclosure of this donation comes at a critical juncture, as Judge McAfee oversees proceedings against Donald Trump. Last week, McAfee presided over the hearing regarding the motion by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman to disqualify Willis.