ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Fulton County prosecutors appeared in public for the first time since allegations of impropriety emerged surrounding the appointment of special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Wade, who sat quietly with his arms crossed at the district attorney’s table during the hearing, is at the center of the controversy. The hearing, which lasted for over two hours, primarily focused on pending pretrial motions. However, the allegations against Wade loomed over the proceedings.
During the hearing, Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee stated his intention to schedule a separate hearing to address the claims made by Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign operative. Roman filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him and to disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney’s office from further prosecuting the case. To proceed with the hearing, McAfee requested a written response from prosecutors in response to Roman’s motion.
The specific date for the hearing has yet to be determined, as it must accommodate the trial calendars of other cases. However, McAfee noted that early to mid-February is the most likely timeframe. He emphasized the importance of receiving a response from the prosecutors before that time.
The allegations against Wade were made by Stefan Merchant, who claimed that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis improperly hired Wade as a special prosecutor for the Trump case. Merchant further alleged that Willis personally benefited from her relationship with Wade, as he paid for their vacations using county funds received by his law firms. Notably, no concrete evidence was provided to support these claims.
While waiting for Willis’ response to Roman’s motion, defense attorney Bruce Sadow expressed the need to review the reply before considering whether to align with Roman’s motion. Sadow acknowledged that this was the first motion to contain factual allegations against the prosecutors and emphasized the importance of substantiation.
Furthermore, attorney Craig Gillen, representing co-defendant David Shafer, revealed that he is conducting his own investigation to determine whether to adopt or supplement Roman’s motion.
Amidst these developments, Wade entered the courtroom with a polite smile but refrained from addressing the allegations, following the lead of his colleagues. A spokesperson for Willis stated that she will respond to the allegations in a forthcoming court filing.
In addition to the controversy surrounding Wade, the hearing shed light on prosecutors’ meeting with staff members for the U.S. House Jan. 6 Committee, which investigated former President Trump’s actions leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Wade confirmed that he and Chief Senior District Attorney Donald Wakeford met with committee aides in Washington. It was clarified that prosecutors were not allowed to photocopy any documents during the meeting.
Defense attorney Sadow has been actively seeking any material shared by the Jan. 6 panel with prosecutors that may not have been disclosed to the defendants during the discovery process. While Wade asserted that no information withheld from defendants was included in his team’s notes, Republicans have started framing the Fulton case as politically biased. They point to Wade’s meetings with the committee and White House Counsel’s office as evidence of prosecutors’ alleged bias.
Defendant Jeffrey Clark also filed a motion seeking communication records between Willis’ office and any U.S. government agency or office. The motion suggests that such information could support the argument that the prosecution is driven by partisan political objectives coordinated with the White House.
In summary, the Fulton County prosecutors appeared in public for the first time since the allegations emerged regarding the appointment of special prosecutor Nathan Wade. Fulton Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee plans to schedule a separate hearing to address the allegations made by Michael Roman. Roman filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him and to disqualify the Fulton County District Attorney’s office from further prosecuting the case. Prosecutors will need to respond in writing to Roman’s motion before the hearing can be set.