Georgia DA Fani Willis Accuses Prosecutor’s Wife of ‘Conspiring’ to Interfere in Trump Case

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building in Atlanta, Ga., on Aug. 14, 2023. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Jan. 18 tried to quash the subpoena seeking her testimony in the divorce case of a prosecutor she hired in the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump and 14 codefendants.

Special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s estranged wife had subpoenaed Ms. Willis to be deposed on Jan. 23, and Ms. Willis is requesting an emergency protective order.

Two weeks ago, one of the defendants made allegations of misconduct against Ms. Willis, that she misused state funds to hire Mr. Wade as special prosecutor, and that she had an improper relationship with the married attorney that included lavish vacations.

In the new court filing by attorney Cinque Axam on behalf of Ms. Willis, the deponent accuses Joycelyn Wade, of having “conspired with interested parties” in the Trump case “to annoy, embarrass, and oppress District Attorney Willis.”

The Wades’ divorce records had been sealed, but media outlets have now requested they be unsealed as these allegations are relevant to the case against President Trump, the Republican frontrunner in the 2024 presidential primary elections.

Ms. Willis pointed out that Mrs. Wade has not objected to this despite having benefitted from having the records sealed the past two years, and argued the subpoena is meant to interfere with her prosecution of President Trump and others in what she termed “the Election Interference Case.” The 15 defendants were charged with violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for their actions to challenge the 2020 election results.

Subpoenaed in Divorce Case

Mrs. Wade’s subpoena was served on Jan. 8, the same day allegations were made by defendant Michael Roman that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade engaged in inappropriate behavior. Mr. Roman had been charged alongside President Trump and argued the case should be thrown out because of the prosecutors’ alleged unethical conduct.

Ms. Willis is arguing this was coordinated, because nothing in or about the divorce proceedings would require her testimony to grant or deny the divorce that both parties have agreed upon.

“The deposition of District Attorney Fani T. Willis cannot provide unique personal knowledge of any matter that is relevant to Defendant Wade’s divorce,” the filing reads.

Mrs. Wade had filed for divorce on Nov. 2, 2021, on grounds that the marriage was irretrievably broken and Mr. Wade had agreed in a court filing the same month. According to Ms. Willis’s motion, which references the divorce records, the couple has been separated since 2021 and Mrs. Wade does not live in Georgia anymore.

The Wades had agreed to divorce as early as 2017, long before Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade met, according to Ms. Willis’s filing, that went on to say Mrs. Wade was having an “adulterous relationship with the Plaintiff’s longtime friend,” and the couple had delayed filing for divorce until their children had reached age of majority.

“The Defendant has not made a specific request for information from District Attorney Willis. If, however, media reports are any indication, the Defendant may intend to ask questions regarding the nature of any relationship with the Plaintiff,” the filing reads.

“On information and belief, Defendant is using discovery as a vehicle to harass Non-Party Deponent Willis,” Ms. Willis wrote, arguing the deposition should be prohibited.

“Defendant Joycelyn Wade is using the legal process to harass and embarrass District Attorney Willis, and in doing so, is obstructing and interfering with an ongoing criminal prosecutions.”

Bank Records Include Trips

On Friday, Mrs. Wade filed bank records in her divorce case that show that Mr. Wade had purchased airline tickets for him and Ms. Willis to San Francisco and Miami in 2022 and 2023, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

These would have been trips taken after Mr. Wade was hired as special prosecutor in the racketeering case.

Mr. Roman’s motion alleges that Mr. Wade has already been paid more than $650,000 for the elections case with funds meant to clear COVID-era backlogs, and additional funds were used on “vacations” with Ms. Willis.

Ms. Willis’s motion to quash the subpoena also revealed that Mr. Wade’s income is not an issue in the ongoing divorce. Legal counsel for Mrs. Wade had already acknowledged receipt of all financial documents related to Mr. Wade’s employment by the district attorney, she argued.