Trump prosecutor Fani Willis faces misconduct claims

[Walter Duerson]

Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney driving the landmark election
interference case against ex-President Donald Trump, is facing accusations
that she improperly hired her romantic partner as the trial's prosecutor.

The allegations, first aired by Michael Roman - one of the 19 co-
defendants in Mr Trump's case - have raised a flurry of questions about Ms
Willis' conduct and judgement.

On Friday, documents filed in the divorce case of her alleged lover,
Nathan Wade, suggested he also paid for lavish trips on Ms Willis' behalf
while the case was underway.

Receipts provided by his ex-wife, Joycelyn Wade, appear to show that he
paid for her to travel to Miami and San Francisco. It is unclear whether
he was reimbursed for the payments.

Ms Willis and her lawyers have accused Ms Wade of "conspiring with
interested parties in the criminal Election Interference Case... to annoy,
embarrass, and oppress" her.

But the claims could prove damaging to the high-flying prosecutor's
position.

Mr Trump has already seized on the allegations on his social network,
Truth Social, posting that the "lovebirds" are targeting him "in order to
ENRICH themselves, and to live the Lifestyle of the Rich and Famous".
What is Fani Willis accused of?

In early January, Mr Roman filed a motion accusing Ms Willis of engaging
in an "improper, clandestine personal relationship" with Mr Wade.

He claimed this had resulted in "the special prosecutor, and, in turn, the
district attorney, profiting significantly from this prosecution at the
expense of the taxpayers".

Mr Roman, who worked on the 2020 Trump campaign, has been charged over his
role in helping put forward a slate of fake pro-Trump electors in Georgia
and other battleground states.

He argued that Mr Wade would not typically have been hired for the special
prosecutor role due to his lack of experience, and alleged that his legal
fees of $650,000 (£513,000) over the past year were exorbitant.

He has urged the court to dismiss the election case and also disqualify Ms
Willis from prosecuting the case.

But the motion included no proof of his allegations, with his lawyer
instead saying the claims were based on sources and records from Mr Wade's
divorce proceedings.

The first black female district attorney for Fulton County, Ms Willis has
rejected the accusations, and suggested last week her critics were
"playing the race card".

"I appointed three special counsellors. It's my right to do. Paid them all
the same hourly rate," she said at the Big Bethel African Methodist
Episcopal Church during a service celebrating Martin Luther King Jr Day.

"They only attacked one," she said, adding that the other two outside
lawyers are white. Mr Wade is black.

A lawyer for Mr Roman has denied race was a factor in his accusations.
Who is Nathan Wade?

Once a municipal court judge, Mr Wade is a trial attorney who has "decades
of experience helping clients facing divorce, separation, and child-
custody issues", according to his firm's website.

Ms Willis has hailed Mr Wade as a "superstar" with "impeccable
credentials".

But his website and resume show little experience with complex criminal
cases like Mr Trump's and Mr Roman has sought to question the prosecutor's
CV in the wake of the allegations.

Still, Mr Wade was a "super competent judge" who was "timely, efficient
with the docket and respectful", Holly Waltman, a criminal defence lawyer
who knows Mr Wade, told the BBC's US partner CBS News.

Mr Wade has also been a "trusted friend" to Ms Willis, she said in 2022,
describing him as her mentor when she worked as a magistrate judge in
Atlanta in 2019.

How does Nathan Wade's divorce case impact Michael Roman's claims?
Ms WIllis hired Nathan Wade as an outside contractor on the Trump case in
November 2021. A day later, he filed for divorce from his wife of over two
decades, leading to the acrimonious and ongoing legal battle.

The allegations contained within her court filing could serve to
corroborate Mr Roman's previously unsubstantiated claims of an improper
relationship between the pair.

Ms Wade filed a subpoena for Ms Willis to testify in the divorce
proceedings just hours before Mr Roman came forward with his allegations
in January.

An attorney for Ms Willis has hit back at Ms Wade in a legal filing,
saying the subpoena was "an attempt to harass and damage" Ms Willis'
credibility.

And the district attorney has insisted that she has no information "that
might prove relevant to granting or denying the divorce," noting that the
couple have been living apart since 2021.

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis hits back at critics
Who is Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis?

Mr and Ms Wade's divorce proceedings are sealed, but a hearing has been
scheduled for 31 January to decide whether to release them, a request
supported by several media outlets.

Mr Wade has not yet responded to the allegations himself.

Has Fani Willis addressed the relationship claims?

Ms WIllis' office has said she will respond directly to Mr Roman's
allegations in a legal filing.

She has until 2 February to respond to the allegations, before the judge
hearing her case against Mr Trump will review evidence about Mr Roman's
claims on 15 February.

A member of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners has also written a
letter demanding that Ms Willis explain herself.

"I must reasonably inquire about allegations contained in a recent court
filing asserting that you misused county funds and accepted valuable gifts
and personal benefits from a contractor/recipient of county funds," said
Bob Ellis.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68038189