Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a special prosecutor she hired for the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump have been issued subpoenas by a defense attorney who has alleged Willis and the prosecutor had an inappropriate romantic relationship.
Quick Read
- Subpoenas Issued: Fulton County DA Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade face subpoenas amid allegations of an inappropriate relationship in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump.
- Motion to Dismiss: Trump co-defendant Michael Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, seeks to dismiss the indictment and remove Willis and Wade from the case, citing conflict of interest.
- Court’s Directive: Judge Scott McAfee demands a response from Willis’ team and sets a hearing for Feb. 15 to address the motion and subpoenas.
- Open Records Lawsuit: Merchant accuses Willis’ office of withholding information under the Georgia Open Records Act, a claim Willis’ spokesperson disputes.
- Investigation Background: Willis hired Wade in November 2021 for the election interference investigation, leading to an indictment against Trump and 18 others in August.
- Trump’s Reaction: The former president uses the allegations to challenge the case’s legitimacy as part of his Republican nomination campaign.
- Co-defendants’ Pleas: Four co-defendants have pleaded guilty, while Trump and others maintain their innocence.
- Allegations Detailed: Roman’s motion alleges financial impropriety between Willis and Wade, questioning Wade’s qualifications without providing proof.
- Willis’ Defense: Willis defended Wade’s qualifications at a church service but did not address the relationship allegations.
- Divorce Case Involvement: In a deposition avoidance attempt, Willis claimed obstruction in the election case, with Wade’s wife providing evidence of shared travel expenses between Wade and Willis.
The Associated Press has the story:
Fani Willis has been subpoenaed over claims of improper relationship
Newslooks- ATLANTA (AP) —
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a special prosecutor she hired for the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump have been issued subpoenas by a defense attorney who has alleged Willis and the prosecutor had an inappropriate romantic relationship.
Lawyer Ashleigh Merchant, who represents Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, filed a motion Jan. 8 seeking to dismiss the indictment and to remove Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade from the case.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who’s presiding over the election case, has ordered Willis’ team to respond by Friday to the motion and to remove Willis from the prosecution. He has set a hearing on the matter for Feb. 15. Merchant confirmed that she has subpoenaed both Willis and Wade to testify at that hearing.
Merchant’s law firm also filed a lawsuit Tuesday accusing Willis’ office of failing to comply with the Georgia Open Records Act, saying they “appear to be intentionally withholding information” that she has requested.
Willis spokesperson Jeff DiSantis declined to comment on the subpoenas, but disputed Merchant’s open records claims.
“We’ve provided her with the information she’s entitled to,” he said, adding that some of the records are still being compiled. He provided a letter that he said the office sent to Merchant last week providing an update on the status of requests she’d made, as well as screenshots showing that Merchant had accessed some records.
Neither Willis nor Wade has publicly addressed the allegations of an inappropriate relationship. Willis’ office has repeatedly said it would respond to Roman’s motion in a court filing.
Willis, an elected Democrat, hired Wade in November 2021 to help with her investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Since a Fulton County grand jury in August returned an indictment against Trump and 18 others, Wade has led the team of lawyers Willis assembled to prosecute the case.
Trump has seized on the allegations as he campaigns for the Republican nomination for president, trying to use them to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the case against him. Four co-defendants have already pleaded guilty in the case after reaching plea deals with prosecutors. Trump and the others who remain have pleaded not guilty.
Roman is a former Trump campaign staffer and one-time White House aide. Trump and co-defendant Robert Cheeley, a Georgia lawyer, have joined Roman’s motion.
Roman’s filing alleges that Willis had paid Wade large sums for his work and then improperly benefited when Wade paid for the pair to go on trips, creating a conflict of interest. It also questioned Wade’s qualifications for the job.
No proof of the alleged relationship was included in the motion. Willis spoke out during a church service nearly a week later and defended Wade’s qualifications, but did not address the allegations of a relationship.
In a court filing seeking to avoid sitting for a deposition in Wade’s divorce case, Willis accused Wade’s wife of trying to obstruct the election case. In a filing in response, Wade’s wife included credit card statements that showed Wade had bought plane tickets for Willis to travel with him to San Francisco and Miami.
