TL/DR –
Fani Willis, the Fulton county district attorney prosecuting Donald Trump over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia, is alleged to have had travel paid for by special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired for the case. The information came from a court filing in a divorce proceeding between Wade and his wife, and it could potentially hamper the case against Trump due to conflict of interest concerns. The allegations are expected to be addressed in a hearing scheduled for 15 February.
Fulton County District Attorney’s Travel Expenses Questioned Amid Trump Investigation
Fulton county district attorney, Fani Willis, prosecuting Donald Trump over Georgia’s 2020 election overturning attempts, allegedly had her travels funded by Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she appointed to the case. Court filing reveals that Willis and Wade might have been involved in an improper relationship, raising conflict of interest concerns.
Bank records submitted by Wade’s spouse in a divorce proceeding demonstrate Willis accompanying Wade on at least two trips during the ongoing Trump investigation. These records might strengthen allegations by Trump’s co-defendant Michael Roman, aiming to disqualify Willis from the Fulton county racketeering case against Trump.
Wade’s credit card statements show him paying for two trips with Willis named as a travel companion. The first trip, on 4 October 2022, from Atlanta to Miami, and the second, on 25 April 2023, from Atlanta to San Francisco. Additionally, Wade’s credit card was used for purchases with Royal Caribbean Cruises and at a Doubletree hotel in Napa Valley.
Roman’s motion argues that Willis personally benefitted from the contract since Wade was paid $653,000 to $1m for legal fees as a lead prosecutor in the Trump case. Roman’s lawyer Ashleigh Merchant has based these claims on sources and records from Wade’s ongoing sealed divorce proceeding. Willis has remained silent about the allegations, with a spokesperson stating that the district attorney’s office would respond through its court filings.
An evidentiary hearing is scheduled for 15 February to address these allegations, two weeks post the hearing in the divorce case on whether to unseal. Wade initiated divorce proceedings the day after he was appointed as a special prosecutor on the Trump case. The divorce became contentious following his spouse’s complaint about undisclosed finances, including income from the Trump case.
Subsequently, Willis was subpoenaed for information concerning Wade’s work. She was ordered to sit for a taped deposition on 23 January. However, she accused Wade’s wife of “conspiring with interested parties in the criminal election interference case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass and oppress District Attorney Willis” and sought a protective order to avoid the deposition.
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