Fani Willis speaks out on misconduct allegations

ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has broken her silence over allegations she was involved in an improper relationship with the special prosecutor she hired in the election interference case against Donald Trump.

Speaking Sunday at the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, Willis defended the qualifications of Nathan Wade for the post, numerous media outlets reported. Willis didn’t mention Wade by name or refer specifically to the allegations surrounding her relationship with the prosecutor.

The allegations surfaced last week in a motion filed on behalf of Michael Roman, one of the defendants charged in the indictment of Trump and 18 associates last August for allegedly working to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia that saw Democrat Joe Biden carry the Peach State.

The motion seeks to have the case dismissed because Willis and Wade were engaged in an “improper, clandestine personal relationship.” It goes on to claim Willis and Wade took vacations together using public funds Wade’s law firm received from Fulton County.

Trump and his Republican allies have cited the allegations in arguing the case against the former president in Fulton County should be dropped.

“While we pointed out the naked politics of the case brought by DA Willis from the beginning, these new revelations raise new and important questions about why these indictments were issued in the first place,” Georgia Republican Chairman Josh McKoon said last week.

“Clearly, there is an urgent need for all criminal proceedings in these cases to be halted until a complete and thorough investigation can be conducted regarding the specific allegations of misconduct, and perhaps even criminal conduct, on the part of DA Willis and Nathan Wade, along with any others that aided them in this alleged scheme.”

Willis has said she will answer the specific allegations in a court filing. But she did speak out on Sunday, defending her decision to hire Wade. Without naming Wade, she described him as an excellent lawyer with “impeccable credentials.”

Willis also talked about the personal toll the case has taken on her, including repeated death threats.

Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee is expected to hold a hearing on the motion next month.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Capitol Beat.