Atlanta, Georgia – Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is scheduled to testify in the divorce case of the special prosecutor she is accused of having an “improper” relationship with. Willis was accused of engaging in an inappropriate romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, an attorney she hired to assist in prosecuting the election interference case against former President Donald Trump. The allegations were made by lawyer Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer Michael Roman. The motion was filed on January 8th.
In response to the motion, lawyers for Wade’s wife, Jocelyn Wade, have served a subpoena seeking to question Willis in the divorce proceedings. Willis is expected to appear in court regarding the divorce case on Monday. It is unclear whether Willis and Wade have been romantically involved.
Willis’ attorney filed an emergency motion on Thursday to quash the subpoena, claiming that Jocelyn Wade is attempting to obstruct the election interference case against Trump and others. According to the filing, Jocelyn Wade conspired with interested parties in the criminal election interference case to use the civil discovery process to harass and damage Willis’ professional reputation.
Andrea Hastings, Jocelyn Wade’s attorney, stated that their intention is to help her resolve her divorce fairly and privately. Willis’ office has stated that they will respond to Merchant’s motion in a court filing.
The motion filed by Merchant accuses Willis of having an improper and clandestine personal relationship with Wade. It claims that Wade has been paid substantial amounts of money and has used some of it to take Willis on trips to Napa Valley, Florida, and the Caribbean. The motion also questions Wade’s qualifications for the job.
Bank statements filed in the divorce case show that Wade had purchased airline tickets for himself and Willis on at least two occasions. However, there is no concrete evidence provided of the alleged relationship or the trips taken together.
Willis has defended hiring Wade and his qualifications, but she has yet to address the allegations of a romantic relationship. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has confirmed that they are not investigating the district attorney for alleged impropriety.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has set a hearing for February 15th regarding Merchant’s motion. Willis has been ordered to file a response to the allegations by February 2nd.