The Fulton County District Attorney's office finds itself under intense scrutiny following accusations that DA Fani Willis appointed her romantic partner the leading prosecutor in the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee instructed Willis to respond to the misconduct allegations in writing by Feb. 2. McAfee scheduled an evidentiary hearing for Feb. 15.
According to court documents filed by Michael Roman, a co-defendant and 2020 Trump campaign official, Roman improperly appointed Nathan Wade, a private attorney not affiliated with her office, special prosecutor.
Wade, who is married with children, allegedly went on vacations with Willis using funds his law firm received from Fulton County.
Last Sunday, Willis addressed the congregation at Big Bethel AME Church. Speaking publicly for the first time since the allegations, she called Wade a “superstar” and uniquely qualified to lead the prosecution.
“You cannot expect a Black woman to be perfect and save the world,” she added.
Willis has not addressed the extent of her relationship with Wade.
Now, the Daily Beast reports Willis is claiming that Wade's estranged wife is “obstructing and interfering” with her prosecution of the former president and 18 co-defendants:
A Trump aide's defense attorney previously accused Willis of having an “improper” relationship with Nathan Wade, a prosecutor she hired to lead the case. Lawyers for Wade's estranged wife, Joycelyn Wade, subpoenaed the Fulton County D.A. last week, seeking to question her in the couple's divorce proceedings.
In a court filing, Willis' lawyers slammed the subpoena as “an attempt to harass and damage” the D.A.'s professional reputation and impede the criminal proceedings Willis is leading against Trump. The D.A.'s lawyer wrote that as the Wades have been separated for more than two years in “an uncontested no-fault divorce,” there is no relevant basis to question Willis in their divorce proceedings.
The filing also accuses Joycelyn Wade of “conspiring” with interested parties in the Trump case to “use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass, and oppress” Willis.
Willis was served with the subpoena by Joycelyn Wade's lawyers on the same day that Ashleigh Merchant, a defense attorney for former Trump aide Michael Roman, filed a motion accusing Willis of engaging in an improper relationship with Nathan Wade, to both of their professional and financial gain. Merchant has not provided any evidence to support her claim, other than vaguely citing “sources close” to Wade and Willis.
Corresponding with the Associated Press, Merchant wrote, “Ms. Willis alleges that her deposition is being sought in an attempt to harass and damage her professional reputation. Why would her truthful testimony risk damaging her reputation?”
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