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Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor appointed by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in her case against former President Donald Trump, has settled his divorce case, ensuring neither he nor Willis will likely ever testify about their rumored romantic relationship.
The settlement avoids what would have been a contentious hearing Wednesday morning and potentially dragged DA Willis in for testimony about whether she carried on a clandestine affair with Wade while he was married. A co-defendant in President Trump’s Georgia election interference case previously asked a state judge to dismiss the district attorney’s office on prejudicial grounds and asked that the divorce records be unsealed.
According to the Washington Post, Wade was expected to be questioned about his personal finances, including a $700,000 salary paid by Willis’ office and airline tickets he purchased for himself and Willis in October 2022 and April 2023.
While the last-minute agreement remains “temporary,” a February 15th hearing will still be held on whether Willis and Wade should be dismissed from the case of Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer facing racketeering charges related to pressuring state officials to overturn the 2020 election results.
Scrutiny of Willis and Wade will remain even if the pair do not find themselves testifying in court. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has previously filed an ethics complaint against Willis, and last week the Georgia State Senate launched a sweeping investigation into whether benefitted from an affair with a subordinate and tainted her case against the former president.
“The Georgia legislature has a responsibility to hold public officials accountable,” Georgia Lieutenant Governor Burt Jones said about the investigation. “Recent reports have been deeply troubling and I appreciate Sen. Dolezal’s leadership on this issue.”
“(T)he Georgia Senate has the inherent power and authority to conduct investigations into … the expenditure of public funds (and) the conduct of public officers who discharge powers and duties under state law,” the resolution continues.
DA Willis has accused her critics of “playing the race card” in a fiery speech at a Black church in Atlanta, although she did not directly confirm or deny allegations of an affair.
Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for Roman, has suggested she will continue to pursue sealed records in the divorce case that may exonerate her client.
