The judge overseeing the state racketeering case against former President Donald Trump scheduled a hearing for Feb. 15 to consider allegations about District Attorney Fani Willis’ relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, The Washington Post reported.
Trump co-defendant Michael Roman filed a motion last week asking to disqualify Willis and dismiss the case, alleging Wade is her romantic partner and that she benefited from awarding him a “lucrative” contract because he took her on trips and cruises using the money he earned from his position. Judge Scott McAfee set a hearing to consider the allegations for Feb. 15 at 9:30 a.m. and required the state to file a response to Roman’s motion by Feb. 2, according to the Post. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Fani Willis Falsely Claimed She Paid Her Alleged Lover The Same As Other Lawyers On Trump Case)
Wade allegedly took Willis on trips to places like Napa Valley, California, Florida and the Caribbean, according to the motion.
JUST IN: Judge McAfee sets an evidentiary hearing on Mike Roman’s motion to disqualify Fulton County DA Fani Willis based on alleged “improper” relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Hearing set for 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 15.
The state’s response is due by Feb. 2. pic.twitter.com/hBvS65LVIc
— Anna Bower (@AnnaBower) January 18, 2024
Willis spoke Sunday for the first time after the allegations came out, stating that she paid all three special counsels on the Trump case the same hourly rate and claiming one special counsel, an indirect reference to Wade, was only being attacked because of his race. However, billing statements obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation revealed that her office paid John Floyd, who is considered Georgia’s top racketeering expert, only $200 an hour as recently as May 2023, while Wade was earning $250 an hour.
The motion did not contain hard evidence of the pair’s relationship but said that “sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney have confirmed they had an ongoing, personal relationship.” Wade filed for divorce from his wife on Nov. 2, 2021, the day after his contract to work under Willis began.
Wade’s wife alleged in filings for their divorce proceedings that Wade did not disclose to her his earnings from the county but continued to draw from her bank account, leaving it “routinely overdrawn.” Wade’s firm has received nearly $654,000 from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office since 2022, according to county records.
“The instant Motion is not filed lightly,” Roman’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, wrote in the Jan. 8 filing. “Nor is it being filed without considerable forethought, research or investigation. Nonetheless, this Motion must be heard, as the issues raised herein strike at the heart of fairness in our justice system and, if left unaddressed and unchecked, threaten to taint the entire prosecution, invite error, and completely undermine public confidence in the eventual outcome of this proceeding.”
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