The cat is out of the bag – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has admitted to having a personal relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade.
But will it affect her role in Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case?
Willis argued no in-court filings on Feb. 2. There are no grounds to dismiss the case or to remove her from the prosecution. This was the first time Willis and Wade addressed the allegations head-on since being accused in early January 2024. According to the affidavit and the filing, Wade said his and Willis’s relationship started in 2022 as an add-on to their “professional association and friendship.”
The DA hired Wade in November 2021 to help in her investigation into finding out if Trump and other lawmakers broke laws by attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Since Wade’s hiring, the duo indicted Trump and 18 others named in the case.
In defense of his relationship with Willis, Wade claimed he never shared a home, financial accounts, or household expenses with her. He described both himself and Willis as “financially independent professionals; expenses or personal travel were roughly divided equally between us.”
He argued all funds paid to him pertaining to the job were never shared with Willis,
as a defense lawyer pushed claims of conflict of interest. “I have no financial interest in the outcome of the 2020 election interference case or in the conviction of any defendant,” Willis said.But Trump case co-defendant Michael Roman claims something different. Roman “wildly speculates” that Willis “benefited financially from the investigation and prosecution of this criminal case, but provides no support to justify that conclusion,” according to NBC News.
The filings continue to argue that motions to disqualify Willis and Wade “are
salacious and garnered the media attention they were designed to obtain.” However, accusations made by Trump and Roman were dismissed. “District Attorney Willis has no financial conflict of interest that constitutes a legal basis for disqualification,” the filings read. “District Attorney Willis has no personal conflict of interest that justifies her disqualification personally or that of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.”In response to the news, Trump jumped on his social platform, Truth Social, adding pressure to the Fulton County prosecutors and calling the case against him “a scam” that is “totally discredited & over!”
“Apparently, the DA believes she can make public out-of-court statements about race, this case, and the defendants whenever she wants, and the Court is powerless to punish her by disqualification,” Trump’s attorney, Steve Sadow, said.
“Such hubris for all to see. Nothing has changed. Our requested remedy remains clear: dismiss the case and disqualify the DA, together with her team and office, from any related matters.”