Claims of an affair put spotlight on Trump prosecutor
ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hired attorney Nathan Wade to lead the Georgia prosecution of Donald Trump and 18 others over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Now, allegations of a romantic relationship between Willis and Wade are raising questions about his past work and qualifications and threaten to taint one of four criminal cases against the former president.
She has defended her hiring of Wade — who has little prosecutorial experience — and has not directly denied a romantic relationship. The claim surfaced last week in a motion filed by a defense attorney representing a former Trump campaign staffer, who did not provide concrete proof. The lawyer is seeking to get the indictment tossed and to remove Willis and Wade from the case.
The district attorney’s relative silence for over a week has allowed Trump and other critics to exploit the claims as the former president vies to win back the White House. But while it’s created a political storm, the legal implications are less clear.
“It’s certainly a huge political problem, it is certainly scandalous and salacious, if true,” said Anthony Michael Kreis, a Georgia State University law professor who is following the case. But he questioned whether it affects prosecutors’ ability to handle the case professionally.
“Where is the line between an ethical lapse or a political misjudgment and something that kind of taints this office?” he asked.
Outside of any effect on this case, Willis, an elected Democrat, is up for reelection this year, and this could become a campaign issue depending on how she ultimately responds.
The motion filed last week by lawyer Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman, alleges Willis paid Wade large sums and benefitted personally when he, in turn, used his earnings to take her to Napa Valley, Florida and the Caribbean. Wade has been paid more than $650,000 at a rate of $250 an hour since his hiring, according to records Merchant cited.
Wade did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The judge has scheduled a Feb. 15 hearing on the matter.
Wade’s wife has subpoenaed Willis for a deposition in the divorce case. In a filing Thursday seeking to quash that subpoena, a lawyer for Willis accused Joycelyn Wade of trying to obstruct and interfere with the criminal election interference case.