Fani Fires Back: Trump prosecutor admits to relationship with colleague, dismisses "salacious" allegations
Filing comes as GOP turns up the heat on DA Willis
The embattled Georgia district attorney in the Trump election interference case admitted to a “personal relationship” with the case’s special prosecutor as her Republican critics continue turning up the heat.
But Fulton County DA Fani Willis is dismissing “salacious” allegations from a Trump co-defendant and says that her relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade hasn’t compromised their work on the case.
“While the allegations raised in the various motions are salacious and garnered the media attention they were designed to obtain, none provide this Court with any basis upon which to order the relief they seek,” DA Willis said.
Co-defendant Michael Roman and his attorneys argued that Wade has been using his county-approved salary to pay for trips with Willis to vacation destinations.
Willis disputes Roman’s timetable, arguing in the 176-page filing that her relationship with Wade began after he was hired to work on the case and that the two do not hold any financial stake in the conviction of any defendant.
But the former President’s inner circle is seizing on Willis’ admission. Trump claimed on his social media platform that the admission could spell the end of the case in Georgia. Roman’s attorneys argue that they have evidence showing that the relationship began before Wade’s hiring.
“Our requested remedy remains clear: dismiss the case and disqualify the DA, together with her team and office, from any related matters,” Roman’s attorneys responded.
Friday’s developments come more than a month after the allegations of impropriety against DA Willis and Special Prosecutor Wade first surfaced in a bombshell filing from Roman’s attorneys. Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the case, is set to entertain Roman’s motion to dismiss the two prosecutors later this month.
It’s one of many headaches facing Willis with an unprecedented case hanging in the balance. She was recently told by a Cobb County judge that her sworn testimony is not needed in Wade’s divorce hearings, at least not yet.
But Republican critics are ramping up their criticism of the DA. In Washington, the former President’s allies on Capitol Hill are seeking to obtain communication and financial documents from Willis’ office relating to federal funding.
Several investigations are on tap just a few blocks away from the Fulton County Courthouse: state lawmakers under the Gold Dome have revived a bill from last year that would strengthen a prosecutor oversight panel. Republican Senators are targeting Willis with a special panel that can gather witnesses and call witnesses to testify under oath.
Legal experts say that these developments aren’t changing the underlying facts of a case accusing Trump and his allies of trying to overturn Georgia’s election results. But it could be all the ammo they need to try and delay any trials until after the 2024 presidential election.