In August 2023, Fulton County’s District Attorney (DA) Fani Willis was in the courthouse, questioning former President Donald Trump and his aides on their involvement in election misconduct. Six months later, the roles have reversed. It is Trump asking questions and Willis on the stand, with her job and her reputation at stake.
Willis, who led the investigation against Trump’s attempt to interfere with the 2020 elections and indicted him under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, has herself been accused of being in a romantic relationship with one of her special prosecutors, Nathan Wade, before and during the indictment case. Michael Roman, a former campaign staffer and one of the co-defendants of Trump, filed a complaint and asked for their removal from the indictment as it poses a conflict of interest. He added that Willis hired her boyfriend so that she could benefit from the money earned by him. Robin Bryant-Yeartie, a former friend of Willis, also testified that she had “no doubt” that their relationship started in 2019 before Willis hired Wade.
In her defense, Willis acknowledged that she shared a personal relationship with Wade; however, she added that they started seeing each other only after she hired him to work on the Trump case and ended it in the summer of 2023. While on the stand, Willis answered questions ranging from her CashApp usage to where her money was kept at home — all to gauge whether she financially benefited by hiring Wade on her staff. Calling the accusations “salacious,” she argued that she has no financial or personal conflict of interest and should not be removed from her office or the case. She is also up for re-election to the DA office at the end of the year.
“The defendants have failed to raise any issue legally or factually to satisfy the legal standard for disqualification,” said Adam Abbate, Chief Deputy District Attorney, who is defending Willis. He also asked Fulton…
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