Georgia’s Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis has been subpoenaed in the divorce case of Nathan Wade, the man Willis is allegedly romantically linked to and has tapped to be special prosecutor to pursue former President Donald Trump.
Willis is leading a RICO case against Trump and several of his top associates for alleged election interference. Notably, it was reported earlier this week that Willis is romantically seeing Wade and has financially benefited from the relationship.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Willis’ office on Monday received a subpoena which requests the DA to testify in Wade and his wife Joycelyn Wade’s divorce case. The Wades initially filed for divorce in November 2021, the report notes.
The subpoena was reportedly delivered by a process server mere hours before former Trump campaign official Michael Roman, who’s a co-defendant in the RICO case, filed a motion alleging misconduct by Willis and Wade, in part for their “improper, clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case.”
The pair allegedly took lavish vacations together that were funded by money Wade’s firm received from working the RICO case. Records show that since the beginning of 2022, Wade has received over $650,000 in legal fees, an amount that either Willis or Wade had to authorize.
Moreover, during an interview on Monday, Roman’s lawyer Ashleigh Merchant suggested Willis’ hiring of Wade was never approved by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners, as it’s supposed to be. Merchant said she reviewed the minutes of every meeting the board held from the time Willis took office, but found no record of Wade’s contract being discussed, the Journal report noted.
Roman’s motion cites sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney who say the pair are in an ongoing relationship and calls for the disqualification of Willis, her office, and Wade from the Trump case.
It’s unclear how these revelations will play out, since legal experts seem to be split on how the allegations could impact the case.
Former DeKalb County District Attorney Bob Wilson told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that DAs in high-profile cases like this one must be extremely careful with their actions, though he refused to comment directly on the allegations facing Willis.
“Everything you do must be done according to the law,” he told the paper. “Everyone who works on a case like this must conduct themselves at the highest professional level. Otherwise, you can become the issue and that can derail your case.”