An attorney for a Trump co-defendant alleged that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will be exposed by a business partner of her top prosecutor amid allegations the two were involved in an improper relationship.
Last month, defendant Michael Roman accused Ms. Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade of being in a relationship, which her office later confirmed this month. He is seeking her disqualification, which some say could potentially upend the entire case. The Fulton County District Attorney’s office, however, denied that anything improper occurred.
During a hearing on the matter Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee signaled that state law says that “disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one” and believes it’s possible that the allegations “by the defendant could result in a disqualification.” He then called for an evidentiary hearing to establish a record of the claims against the two.
On Monday, Roman lawyer Ashleigh Merchant said that Mr. Wade’s business partner, Terrence Bradley, may expose the relationship and other allegations. He would be able to speak about the relationship between the pair, she said, while adding that their relationship started earlier than they had publicly disclosed.
She continued: “There is has been no waiver of privilege of that and I believe that the evidence or the record before the Court would demonstrate that. Defense counsel knows that this relationship attorney-client relationship exists.”
The Epoch Times has contacted Mr. Wade’s law firm for comment.
Mr. Roman’s motion says Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade were romantically involved when she hired him in November 2021 to manage an investigation into whether President Donald Trump and others committed any crimes as they tried to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. That investigation led to the indictment in August of the former president and 18 others who are accused of participating in an illegal scheme to keep him in office.
The former president has denied wrongdoing in the case. This month, his attorneys joined Mr. Roman’s motion, while also accusing Ms. Willis of making racially charged comments during an appearance at an Atlanta church last month in a bid to sway the case.
Ms. Willis has paid Mr. Wade more than $650,000 for his work and then, Mr. Roman alleges, profited personally when he used that money to take her on expensive vacations, including cruises in the Bahamas and trips to Aruba, Belize, and Napa Valley. His filing also questions Mr. Wade’s qualifications for the job, saying there’s no evidence he had ever prosecuted a felony or handled a racketeering case.
A subsequent court filing submitted by Mr. Wade included a sworn statement saying that the pair began a personal relationship in 2022, after he was hired as a special prosecutor. His statement also said travel expenses for him and Ms. Willis were “roughly divided equally between us” and that Ms. Willis “received no funds or personal financial gain” from his position as a special prosecutor.
Ms. Merchant issued subpoenas for Ms. Willis, Mr. Wade, seven other employees at the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, and Mr. Bradley. The district attorney’s office has attempted to block those subpoenas, claiming that Mr. Roman’s attempts are a bid to create a “public narrative” instead of seeking a “legal remedy.” The judge declined to quash those subpoenas during Monday’s hearing.
In the hearing, Fulton County prosecutor Anna Cross told the judge she believes that Ms. Merchant’s allegations are either fabricated or she is mistaken.
“I will be shocked if Miss Merchant is able to support that statement. Shocked,” Ms. Cross said. “I don’t believe that’s true.” Many of the allegations foisted by Mr. Roman and the others were not true, saying that they are based on “wild speculation” and hearsay, she added.
The prosecutor said that Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis split their costs when traveling, and that no taxpayer funds were used to go on the trips. Ms. Willis’s father, who lives in California, will also be called to testify to refute some of the allegations, she said.
But the judge said he is willing to hear some of the allegations before deciding whether to disqualify the district attorney or Mr. Wade.
“So just to emphasize, I think the issues at point here are whether a relationship existed, whether that relationship was romantic or nonromantic in nature, when it formed and whether it continues,” Judge McAfee said. “And that’s only relevant because it’s in combination with the question of the existence and extent of any personal benefit conveyed as a result of their relationship.”
