Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis admitted on Friday to maintaining a “personal relationship” with an outside prosecutor hired by her office to oversee the criminal case brought against former President Donald Trump in the state of Georgia. According to court filings disclosing the relationship (which Willis had previously denied), Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade paid for multiple vacations for himself and Willis after being hired to lead the RICO case against Trump—but Willis denies that the affair has tainted the prosecution or led to a conflict of interest.
As Valuetainment reported at the time, DA Willis secured an indictment against former President Trump and 18 of his associates in August, alleging that his challenge to the results of the 2020 election violated Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. In response, Trump, his legal team, and many prominent Republicans have accused Willis of interfering in the 2024 election with a partisan, politically motivated prosecution.
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In early January, Trump co-defendant Michael Roman filed a motion to dismiss the 41-count indictment on the grounds that Willis was engaged in a “personal, romantic relationship” with Wade, who was paid $653,000 to prosecute the case. The motion also alleged that Wade and Willis were enriching themselves through the prosecution and had been coordinating with the Biden administration to plan out the case.
For nearly four weeks, Willis refused to confirm whether the allegations were true, and at one point took the pulpit at a local church to suggest that she and Wade were being targeted for their race.
In a 176-page response submitted to the Georgia Superior Court on Friday, Willis finally addressed the accusation, calling Roman’s claims “meritless” and “salacious” and asking the judge to reject the motion from Trump’s defense. While she admitted that she was indeed in a romantic relationship with Wade, she denied all allegations of misconduct and claimed that the affair in no way prejudiced the case.
“Defendants have done nothing to establish an actual conflict of interest, nor have they shown that, in the handling of the case, District Attorney Willis or Special Prosecutor Wade have acted out of any personal or financial motivation,” the filing said.
Related: Fulton County DA Fani Willis Faces Impeachment from Georgia Republicans
An accompanying affidavit from Wade disclosed that the relationship had begun in 2022, well after his appointment as a prosecutor in the case, and he indicated that the two had never lived together or shared a bank account.
“At times, I have made and purchased travel for District Attorney Willis and myself from my personal funds,” Wade admitted. “At other times, District Attorney Willis has made and purchased travel for she and I from her personal funds.”
However, he maintained that he has “no financial interest in the outcome of the 2020 election interference case or in the conviction of any defendant.”
Outside Roman’s accusations, other probes into Willis’ personal and professional conduct are also underway, including an investigation from the Georgia State Senate into corruption in the Trump prosecution. The findings of this probe would not remove Willis from office but would likely damage her credibility.
Additionally, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan issued a subpoena on Friday for Willis to testify about the alleged firing of a former staffer who observed Willis misusing federal funds.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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