Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office confirmed that it communicated with White House officials on two separate occasions for procedural purposes.
“We did get a letter from the White House Counsel’s office … about logistics and procedures, as I stated before,” Mr. Bernick replied.
“You’re saying that the sole written communication … solely consists of one written letter?” the judge then asked.
“One written letter … well there were two written letters about procedures, about how we interview … former or current White House officials,” the prosecutor said, according to a transcript. “It wasn’t about obtaining any type of evidence,” Mr. Bernick added.
“The issue would be that a selective prosecution claim can be brought pre-trial if they think that there are grounds,” the judge said in response.
‘Political Purpose’
The lawyer argued that the election interference case against Mr. Clark and President Trump was meant to serve a “political purpose” and wanted access to those documents because the Biden administration has its “fingerprints on all four” prosecutions against the former president.Later in the hearing, Judge McAfee said he wanted to review the relevant communications between Fulton County prosecutors and the White House before rendering a decision.
“Why don’t we start there?” he said. “After I’ve had a chance to review, I'll make the findings … in a written order.”
Reports earlier this month indicated that a special prosecutor appointed in the Trump case, Nathan Wade, had invoices submitted to the Fulton County District Attorney’s office that revealed he asked for reimbursement for at least two meetings with the White House counsel’s office while he was involved in the election interference case. Those meetings occurred in 2022 after he was named as a special prosecutor by Ms. Willis.
Jeff DiSantis, a spokesman for the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, responded to the allegations made by Mr. Roman’s attorney. He told a local media outlet that he had never heard of Ms. Willis and Mr. Roman engaging in a relationship. He also disputed Ms. Merchant’s claim that it was common knowledge in the office that the pair were together.
During a public appearance days after the Roman motion was filed, Ms. Wade suggested that the complaint was motivated by racial animus, attributing it to her being a black woman. “First thing they say, ‘Oh, she gonna play the race card now,’” she said at a church event in mid-January. “But no, God, isn’t it them who’s playing the race card when they only question one?”
However, the racism claims led to a court motion from President Trump himself. His lawyers argued on Thursday that she should step down from the case due to making “provocative and inflammatory extrajudicial racial comments.” They also joined Mr. Roman’s motion, which alleged that she was in a relationship with her special prosecutor.
This development follows a complaint filed by Just the News with the Georgia Attorney General’s office, claiming that the district attorney’s office failed to meet a deadline for responding to an Open Records Act inquiry. The news outlet said that it is seeking the same documents and records Mr. Clark is attempting to obtain, which pertain to the White House meetings and communications.
