On Monday, a judge issued an order to make court records public in the divorce proceedings of a special prosecutor who was hired for the election case involving Donald Trump. This special prosecutor had been accused of engaging in an affair with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The recently revealed court records, however, did not contain any mentions of the alleged affair, which has stirred controversy within the case.
The judge granted the request to unseal special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s divorce case, which was initiated by a defense attorney claiming an inappropriate relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Wade. The judge also postponed the final decision regarding whether Willis would need to undergo questioning in the divorce case. Furthermore, the deposition scheduled for Tuesday was delayed.
“Fani Willis and Wade met twice with President Joe Biden’s White House Counsel before indicting Trump in August, raising questions about whether the White House coordinated prosecuting Biden’s 2024 political opponent.” https://t.co/gR5ijT5id7
— Andrew H. Giuliani (@AndrewHGiuliani) January 23, 2024
Willis has defended her decision to hire Wade despite his limited prosecutorial experience and has not directly refuted claims of a romantic relationship. She has accused Wade’s estranged wife of attempting to obstruct her case against Trump and others for election interference by seeking to question her within the divorce proceedings.
The allegations of an affair pose a risk to the integrity of the prosecution, as the leading candidate in the Republican primary and other individuals have used these claims to criticize both the case itself and Nathan Wade’s qualifications as a prosecutor. Trump, who is the primary front-runner, has entered a plea of not guilty, refuted any wrongdoing, and characterized the charges as politically motivated.
Willis was served with a subpoena for a deposition in the divorce case on the same day when defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, representing former Trump campaign staffer and ex-White House aide Michael Roman, filed a motion earlier this month alleging a romantic involvement between Willis and Wade.
Court documents indicate that Wade purchased plane tickets in Willis’ name, prompting Joycelyn Wade’s lawyer to argue that there seems to be no reasonable explanation for their travel other than a romantic relationship. Andrea Dyer Hastings, representing Joycelyn Wade, informed the judge on Monday that they believe Willis possesses unique personal knowledge relevant to the divorce case and should be open to questioning.
Cinque Axam, an attorney representing Willis, stated that the court’s focus pertains to the division of marital assets. He emphasized that this matter is unrelated to Willis since she does not share any financial accounts with Nathan Wade and does not oversee his expenditures.
In a short hearing held at Cobb County Superior Court, Judge Henry Thompson expressed his inability to make a determination regarding whether Willis should participate in a deposition for the divorce case until after Wade is questioned later this month. While ruling that the divorce case documents should be made accessible to the public, he noted that a previous judge had erroneously sealed the case without conducting a proper hearing.
