Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could be disqualified from prosecuting former President Donald Trump in Georgia over allegations that she has misused taxpayer dollars and showed favoritism to fellow prosecutor and romantic partner Nathan Wade, according to the judge overseeing the case.
Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee dismissed Willis’s efforts on Monday to forgo a hearing on the accusations against her, saying that the allegations, if true, could lead to her removal from the case. Willis has headed up a RICO case against Trump and his allies, who are accused of interfering in the 2020 election in Georgia.
“Because I think it’s possible that the facts alleged by the defendant could result in disqualification, I think an evidentiary hearing must occur to establish the record on those core allegations,” McAfee said, referencing Trump co-defendant Michael Roman’s motion to dismiss the charges against him based on misconduct from Willis.
Willis hired Wade, with whom she has admitted to being in a relationship, and has paid his office hundreds of thousands of dollars. Wade reportedly does not have extensive prosecuting experience and has primarily dealt with issues like traffic tickets and family disputes during his legal career.
According to court filings, Wade paid for Willis to accompany him on at least two trips in 2022 and 2023 after Willis had already hired him to oversee her RICO case against Trump.
“That is no longer a matter of complete speculation,” McAfee said of the relationship between Wade and Willis. “The state has admitted a relationship existed, and so what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit, if there even was one.”
Lawyers for Fulton County have said that the accusations against Willis amount to gossip and asked McAfee to shut down any further inquiry into the claims.
“The defense is not bringing you facts. The defense is not bringing you law. The defense is bringing you gossip,” attorney Anna Cross said on Monday.
McAfee said that he would step in if the lawyers for Roman were unable to substantiate their claims. “If there’s anything that is referring to … harassment or undue embarrassment, I’m not going to feel inhibited from stepping in, even without an objection from counsel, to move this along and keep it focused on the issues at hand,” he said.
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Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing in Georgia, previously said that the case had been discredited because of the relationship between Wade and Willis.
“By going after the most high level person, and the Republican Nominee, she was able to get her ‘lover’ much more money, almost a Million Dollars, than she would be able to get for the prosecution of any other person or individual,” Trump said. “THAT MEANS THAT THIS SCAM IS TOTALLY DISCREDITED & OVER!”
A full hearing on the allegations against Willis will be held on Thursday and Friday.