Judge in Trump’s Georgia case orders DA to respond to allegations of impropriety

The judge overseeing the Fulton County prosecution of former President Donald Trump and numerous co-defendants has directed District Attorney Fani Willis to respond to allegations that she is in a romantic relationship with one of the lead prosecutors and has violated ethics rules.

Judge Scott McAfee ordered Willis to file a written response by Feb. 2. He said he will hold a hearing on the allegations on Feb. 15.

Mike Roman, a former Trump campaign official and one of the defendants in the case, lodged the bombshell allegations against Willis in court papers last week filed by his lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant. Merchant claimed that Willis is involved in an improper relationship with Nathan Wade, an outside lawyer whom Willis hired on a contract basis as a “special prosecutor” to help run the case.

Merchant claimed, without proof, that Willis and Wade traveled on expensive vacations financed by the income Wade earned from his work on the case. The arrangement violates rules barring conflicts of interest, Merchant argued, and is grounds for the judge to disqualify Willis and her team from the prosecution.

Before joining the Trump probe, Wade does not appear to have had any experience prosecuting complex cases. Wade’s biography on his law firm’s website touts his experience on personal injury issues, family law, contract disputes and other civil matters.

Willis’ office said it would respond to the allegations in court filings. In an order handed down Thursday, McAfee directed Willis to do just that.

Willis recently defended Wade’s qualifications in remarks during a church service honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. She did not address the allegations of impropriety.

In November 2021, a day after joining the district attorney’s team, Wade filed to divorce his wife of more than two decades. That divorce proceeding has now become intertwined with the Trump case, as Wade’s wife, Joycelyn Wade, recently subpoenaed Willis to testify in the divorce proceeding.

The Wade divorce proceedings are sealed. On Jan. 31 — two days before McAfee’s new deadline — there will be a hearing in the divorce case on whether to unseal it. Merchant has moved for the case to be unsealed, and earlier this week a coalition of media outlets weighed in to support unsealing the proceedings.

On Thursday, Willis moved to quash the subpoena for her deposition, which is scheduled for Jan. 23, arguing that she has no relevant evidence to offer in a divorce proceeding in which both parties have agreed the marriage has been “irretrievably broken” since 2021.

Willis called the subpoena an attempt to “embarrass” and “harass” her and suggested it had been coordinated with Roman. She noted that the subpoena for her testimony came simultaneously with Roman’s allegations of an inappropriate relationship between Willis and Wade. And she said the only conceivable relevant information she would have for Wade’s divorce — details about his compensation as her employee — had already been provided.

“Joycelyn Wade has not identified any other relevant basis for questioning or seeking discovery from the District Attorney Willis,” Willis’ attorney Cinque Axam wrote.

Willis' filing did not address the allegations by Roman that she and Nathan Wade have a personal relationship.

Merchant, Roman's attorney, responded to Willis’ claim of coordination.

“As she did in Fulton County, Willis attempts to create a conspiracy where none exists,” Merchant said. “We filed Mr. Roman’s motion on the day it was due, January 8th. We believe her filing in Cobb County is just another attempt to avoid having to directly answer the important questions Mr. Roman has raised.”