Multiple witnesses are reportedly willing to testify to the existence of an inappropriate romantic relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Nathan Wade, the private defense attorney she hired for her case against former President Donald Trump, according to Sunday remarks by the lawyer who first raised the allegation in a legal filing last week.
The allegation that Wade and Willis are romantically involved originated in a legal filing written by attorney Ashliegh Merchant for Michael Roman (pictured above, right), a defendant in the 2020 election case against former President Donald Trump, which sought to have the case dismissed in light of the alleged inappropriate relationship.
It was alleged the purported relationship between Willis and Wade, who has earned more than $650,000 for his work on the Trump case since 2021, has indirectly financially benefited the district attorney. Roman’s filing argued the case against him should be dismissed due to the relationship, and that Willis (pictured above, left) should be banned from prosecuting her case against Trump.
In a weekend interview with WSB-TV, Merchant said she “would never have filed something like this” without “multiple sources to corroborate” the claims, and the outlet reported she “expects to put up eyewitness testimony about the alleged relationship between Willis and Wade” and “has witnesses who did not want to provide written affidavits but indicated they would testify in court if subpoenaed.”
Merchant told the outlet, “We look forward to litigating this motion in court where we can bring forward all of our evidence.” The lawyer reportedly added that Roman declined a plea deal from Willis which would have required him to plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge in exchange for probation.
Willis’ office has repeatedly insisted they will respond to the allegations in legal filings, but a spokesman told the outlet, “We look forward to addressing the matter” in court.
Since beginning work in Willis’ office in 2021, Wade has been compensated more than $650,000 by Fulton County taxpayers, and is paid $250 per hour for his work on the case. Invoices and credit card receipts suggest at least two meetings with Biden administration officials, and a third trip to Washington, D.C. for unclear work purposes while President Joe Biden was in town.
In addition to the allegation of romantic entanglement, Roman’s filing confirmed, for the first time, a line of communication between the January 6 Committee in the U.S. House and Willis’ office. Wade confirmed the meeting during a Friday court appearance that also included Willis.
During the same court appearance, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said he would give Willis and her office time to respond to Roman’s filing before discussing it in court.
A criminal referral was filed against Willis by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA-14), who asked Governor Brian Kemp and Attorney General Chris Carr to launch a formal investigation into the claims.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Fani Willis” by Fani Willis and “Michael Roman” is by Michael Roman.Â
