Fulton ethics board to take up Willis complaints
The Fulton County Board of Ethics will hear two complaints against District Attorney Fani Willis questioning her conduct in the election interference case.
The complaints are unlikely to have much effect on the prosecution of former President Donald Trump and 14 other defendants in the case. There is disagreement about whether the county ethics code applies to Willis, who is a state constitutional officer. And if she were found to have violated the county code, the penalty is only a sanction of up to $1,000 and a public reprimand.
But they are the latest front in a battle that has raged since defendants in the election case sought to disqualify Willis for alleged misconduct.
One of the county complaints says Willis acted unethically by contracting with outside counsel Nathan Wade to prosecutethe case against Trump and his allies. Willis and Wade have admitted they were romantically involved, and the complaint alleges Willis benefitted financially because Wade paid for vacations for the couple with money he earned from the case. Willis and Wade have said they split the cost of the trips roughly equally and deny they have done anything improper.
The other complaint says Willis has illegally refused to release certain records concerning Wade’s invoices under the Georgia Open Records Act.
Both of the Fulton County complaints will be heard at the ethics board’s March 7 meeting. A spokesperson for Willis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a hearing last week, the defense attorneys questioned key aspects of Willis’ and Wade’s accounts of their personal relationship — including when it began and whether Willis reimbursed Wade for their personal travel expenses.
Willis and Wade testified they did not become romantically involved until after she contracted with him to oversee the case in November 2021. A former friend and employee of Willis testified she saw them kissing, hugging and being affectionate in late 2019.
Willis and Wade also testified that she reimbursed him in cash for some trips and offset his expenses by paying for other activities, such as wine tastings, when they traveled. Defense attorneys noted they could produce no documentation of the cash reimbursements.