Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis set out to bring an unprecedented case against former president Donald Trump for interference in the 2020 election, but her allegedly "improper" affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade is overshadowing her efforts, and could get her disqualified.
Wade was hired in 2022 to help prosecute the sweeping case against Trump and 18 other co-defendants on charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including racketeering, violating the oath of office, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, forgery and false statements.
Four co-defendants in the case alleged in subsequent court filings that Wade was romantically involved with Willis at the time he was hired and that she financially benefitted from his employment because of their relationship and lavish vacations they took together.
Co-defendants have also alleged that Wade’s "lack of experience" prosecuting complex cases makes him "unqualified" to work the case and questioned why Willis hired him in the first place.
GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS WILL NOT TESTIFY FOR SECOND DAY ON 'IMPROPER' AFFAIR WITH NATHAN WADE
A John Marshall Law School graduate, Wade worked in private practice at his firm Wade & Campbell prior to his work with the Fulton County DA’s office.
"Whether you are in need of representation after a major car accident or are going through a change in your personal life that requires representation with a family law issue; whether you have a contract dispute, or whether you are involved in any type of civil litigation, Nathan J. Wade will be a zealous advocate for you," his firm’s website reads.
The New York Times reported that public records show "scant evidence" that he has prosecuted major criminal cases, with no evidence that he has handled a major political corruption case or one involving the state’s "complicated racketeering statute" under which all the defendants in the Trump case have been charged.
In 1999, Wade spent four months as an assistant solicitor in the Atlanta suburb of Cobb County. From 2011 to 2021, he was an associate municipal court judge in Marietta, Georgia, handling misdemeanor cases.
Wade ran for a seat on the bench of the Cobb County Superior Court three times between 2012 and 2016 but lost each time.
Wade took the stand on Thursday during a tense court hearing to hash out evidence to allegations that Willis had financially benefitted from Wade’s employment.
Both Willis and Wade testified that Wade had routinely paid for the trips and that Willis would reimburse him with cash. When repeatedly pressed about whether any records existed for her withdrawals of the funds, she said she was accustomed and taught by her father to keep six months of regular expenses on hand in cash.
Wade took the stand earlier in the hearing. Craig Gillen, attorney for Trump co-defendant David Shafer who also asked the court to disqualify Willis, questioned Wade earlier about Willis' repayments to him for vacations that had been made in cash.
Wade admitted that he did not have deposit slips or receipts to support his claims.
"You don’t have a single solitary deposit slip to corroborate or support any of your allegations that you were paid by Ms. Willis in cash, do you?" Gillen asked.
"No, sir," Wade said.
"Not a single solitary one," Gillen pressed.
"Not a one."
Willis, in her testimony, called Wade a "southern gentleman." Willis said her relationship with Wade ended roughly last summer but that the two remain "very good friends" and are "probably closer than ever because of these attacks."
Both Willis and Wade insisted that their relationship started in 2022, after Wade was hired. But they contradict testimony from Robin Yeartie, a former "good friend" of Willis and past employee at the DA's office. Yeartie said she had "no doubt" the Willis and Wade's relationship started in 2019, after the two met at a conference.
Yeartie testified to observing Willis and Wade "hugging" and "kissing" and showing "affection" prior to November 2021, and that she had no doubt that the two were in a "romantic" relationship starting in 2019, to when she and Willis last spoke in 2022.
Willis dismissed Yeartie's testimony and said she no longer considers Yeartie to be a friend.
