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☆ Trump Georgia prosecutor admits romantic relationship with Atlanta D.A. boss
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

said, but had "no personal relationship" in November 2021, when Wade became special prosecutor in the case. "There was no personal relationship between District Attorney Willis and me prior to or at the time of my appointment as special prosecutor in 2021," Wade wrote. "No funds paid to me in compensation for my role as Special Prosecutor have been shared with or provided to District Attorney Willis." "At times I have made and purchased travel for District Attorney Willis and myself from my personal funds. At other times District Attorney Willis has made and purchased travel for she and I from her personal funds."

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Willis, Trump's, Wade, Trump, Joe Biden, Michael Roman, Fulton, Ashleigh Merchant, Attorney Willis, Merchant Organizations: Atlanta District, Fulton County Superior Court, Attorney Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Atlanta, Georgia

Washington and Atlanta CNN —Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Nathan Wade, her lead prosecutor on the 2020 election case, both acknowledge in court papers that they have a “personal” relationship but strongly pushed back on claims that she financially benefitted from hiring him. “The District Attorney received no funds or personal financial gain from my position as Special Prosecutor,” he said. Willis said in the court filing that the “salacious” allegations do not reach the legal grounds required for her to be disqualified from the Georgia election interference case. Willis, Wade and some of their colleagues could be forced to testify at the hearing after receiving subpoenas this week. Willis appointed Wade special prosecutor in 2021.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Donald Trump, Wade, Willis “, ” Wade, ” Willis, “, ”, …, Trump’s, Wade’s, Attorney Willis, Nathan, there’s, Mike Roman, Trump, San, CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: Atlanta CNN —, District Attorney, Attorney, ”, “, CNN, Miami, Trump Locations: Washington, Atlanta, Atlanta CNN — Fulton County, Georgia, San Francisco

“At times,” Wade said, "I have made and purchased travel for District Attorney Willis and myself from my personal funds. The motion alleged that Willis and Wade were in an inappropriate romantic relationship that created a conflict of interest. The filing seeks to dismiss the case and to have Willis and Wade and their offices barred from further prosecuting the case. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who’s presiding over the election case, has set a Feb. 15 hearing on Roman’s motion. Roman’s motion did not include any concrete proof for the allegations of a romantic relationship between Willis and Wade.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade, Trump, Brad Raffensperger, Democrat Joe Biden, ” Wade, Attorney Willis, ”, Willis ’, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Robert Cheeley, Scott McAfee, who’s, Merchant, McAfee, ” Willis ’ team’s, Willis —, “, Jim Jordan, ” Willis, Jordan, Eric Tucker, Alanna Durkin Richer Organizations: ATLANTA, Republican, Trump, Democrat, Attorney, Court, . Rep, Committee, Department of Justice, Associated Press Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Merchant, Cobb County, San Francisco, Miami, Fulton, Washington, Boston

☆ Trump's top prosecutor in Georgia admits to relationship with DA Fani Willis, but says they always went halfsies on travel
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

DA Fani Willis has admitted to having a personal relationship with the top prosecutor in Donald Trump's Georgia case. Willis hit back at demands to disqualify her over allegations that she had an "improper" relationship with Nathan Wade. "To be absolutely clear, the personal relationship between Special Prosecutor Wade and District Attorney Willis has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit to District Attorney Willis," the filing read. Nathan Wade, the Georgia lawyer who admitted he had a relationship with Fulton County DA Fani Willis, addresses the judge in a recent hearing. "At times I have made and purchased travel for District Attorney Willis and myself from my personal funds."

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump's, Willis, Nathan Wade, —, Donald Trump, Michael Roman, Ashleigh Merchant, Wade, Trump, Wade —, Joycelyn Wade, Attorney Willis, Fulton, Roman, Robert Cheeley, Elijah Nouvelage Wade, Scott McAfee, Merchant, Joycelyn, Nathan, Fani Willis colluded, Rich Organizations: Fulton, Service, Trump, Fulton County DA, Attorney, Merchant, REUTERS, San, Atlanta Journal, West, Trial Locations: Donald, Donald Trump's Georgia, Fulton County , Georgia, Trump, Trump's Georgia, Georgia, Napa Valley , Florida, Caribbean, Fulton County, Atlanta , Georgia, U.S, Miami, San Francisco, Atlanta

☆ Prosecutor in Trump Georgia Case Admits Relationship With Colleague
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fani T. Willis, the district attorney prosecuting the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump, acknowledged on Friday a “personal relationship” with a prosecutor she hired to manage the case but argued that it was not a reason to disqualify her or her office from it. The admission came almost a month after allegations of an “improper, clandestine personal relationship” between the two surfaced in a motion from one of Mr. Trump’s co-defendants. The motion seeks to disqualify both prosecutors and Ms. Willis’s entire office from handling the case — an effort that, if successful, would likely sow chaos for an unprecedented state criminal prosecution of a former president. Wade, “has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit” to Ms. Willis. Ms. Willis’s filing includes an affidavit from Mr. Wade asserting that the personal relationship started only after Mr. Wade had been hired.

Persons: Willis, Donald J, Trump, Trump’s, Willis’s, “, Ms, ” Ms, Nathan J, Wade Locations: Georgia

☆ Embattled Georgia prosecutor Willis will not recuse from Trump election case amid affair allegations, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Despite calls by some legal experts to recuse herself from the case to protect its integrity, she is not expected to do so, the sources told CNN. Still, a source familiar with the thinking inside the DA’s office told CNN they would be “mystified” if it succeeds in removing her. “I think a lot of what I’ve read is more of a distraction and not legally substantive,” James told CNN in a sit-down interview. I think it’s very unlikely that we’ll see any criminal action come out of that,” Kreis told CNN. If Willis ultimately survives the current push to disqualify her, the case would effectively be back on track, sources told CNN.

Persons: Willis, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Nathan Wade, Trump, Mike Roman, Scott McAfee, Wade, Erik S, Norm Eisen, Obama, Wade —, Willis —, “, ” Eisen, Eisen, Willis ‘, Robert James, ” James, Donald J, Elijah Nouvelage, James, I’m, ’ ” James, Anthony Michael Kreis, –, Brian Kemp, ” Kreis, “ It’s, It’s, McAfee, Jack Smith, CNN’s Nick Valencia, Jason Morris Organizations: CNN —, CNN, Trump, White, Georgia State University, Kreis, GOP, Georgia Republicans, Republican, Georgia’s Republican Gov Locations: Georgia, CNN — Fulton County, Cobb County, Fulton County, Atlanta , Georgia, Miami, San Francisco, DeKalb County

They are among nearly a dozen witnesses who were subpoenaed, including other Fulton County prosecutors, Willis’s assistant and bodyguard, and Wade’s current and former law partners. CNN first reported last week that Willis, Wade and others were expected to receive subpoenas to testify at the February 15 hearing. The other prosecutors who were subpoenaed are Deputy District Attorney Sonya Allen and Executive District Attorney Daysha Young. Both are members of Willis’ executive team, according to the Fulton County website. Mike Roman, one of Trump’s co-defendants, is suing the Fulton County district attorney’s office, accusing prosecutors of withholding information that the lawsuit claims could prove allegations of an improper romantic relationship.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Wade, Willis, Sonya Allen, Daysha Young, Michael Hill, Tia Green, Mike Roman, Trump’s, Roman, they’ve, Willis’s, –, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Mr, ”, Roman’s, Trump Organizations: CNN, Executive, Fulton, ”, Records Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton

And Rowden penalized prominent Freedom Caucus members by stripping them of their committee chairmanships and prime Capitol parking spots. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesAn outgrowth of the group, the State Freedom Caucus Network, launched in 2021 in Georgia. Like in Missouri, Idaho's top Republican senator removed certain Freedom Caucus members from committee leadership posts last November and denounced their disparaging rhetoric against other senators. For a year now in South Carolina, Freedom Caucus members have been excluded from the House Republican caucus — since they refused to go along with party rules that bar them from campaigning against other Republican members. Meanwhile in Georgia, the Senate Republican caucus booted an outspoken Freedom Caucus member who tried to pressure colleagues into impeaching a Democratic prosecutor for indicting Trump.

Persons: Pro Tem Caleb Rowden, —, Donald Trump, Kevin McCarthy —, it's, “ We’re, ”, Sen, Bill Eigel, Rowden, indicting Trump, Colton Moore, Moore, Fani Willis, Trump, Andrew Roth, they’re, Roth, Katie Hobbs, Adam Morgan, ” Morgan, Micah Caskey, Caskey, ” Caskey, James Pollard, Pollard Organizations: JEFFERSON CITY, Pro, Washington , D.C, Caucus, Republican, U.S, U.S . House, State Freedom Caucus Network, Freedom Caucus, National Guard, GOP, Democratic, The, State Freedom Caucus, Democratic Arizona Gov, Department of Health Services, Republicans, South Carolina Freedom Caucus, Republican governor’s, Associated Press, America Statehouse News Initiative, America Locations: Mo, Washington ,, U.S, Georgia, Missouri, Texas, Mexico, South Carolina, The Georgia, Fulton County, Wyoming, Montana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Illinois, South Dakota, Republican governor’s State, Columbia , South Carolina

☆ 5 distinct legal questions looming over Donald Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Zachary Wolf | Analysis Zachary B. Wolf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —While former President Donald Trump’s path through Republican primaries is clearing up, he faces looming unanswered questions in multiple different courts. Engoron had already ordered the dissolution of Trump’s New York real estate empire, which is on hold pending Trump’s appeal. The US Supreme Court has, for now, declined to take up the case, because justices wanted this particular appeals court panel to weigh in. Trump will remain on the ballot for Colorado’s primary pending the Supreme Court decision. While the situation is unlikely, at least for now, to kill the case against Trump, Willis’ position at the helm is very much in question.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Arthur Engoron, Letitia James, Trump, Engoron, Jack Smith, Will Trump, Fani Willis, Willis ’, Willis, Scott McAfee, Jean Carroll, Carroll, that’s, ” Trump, “ Organizations: CNN, Trump, New York, Trump’s, US, Tuesday, Senate, New, Forbes, Bloomberg Locations: Trump’s, York, New York, Washington , DC, Colorado, Maine, Illinois, Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia’s

☆ Fulton County government outage: Cyberattack brings down phones, court site and tax systems
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Alta Spells | Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —An ongoing cyberattack against Georgia’s Fulton County, which includes parts of Atlanta, has brought some of the government’s systems to a standstill, halting access to court filings, tax processing and other services. The office of the county’s District Attorney Fani Willis lost access to its phones, internet and the court system website, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter. The communication, court and tax systems have all been brought down, said Fulton County Board of Commissioners Chairman Robb Pitts in a news briefing Monday. A source with first-hand knowledge in Fulton County told CNN the internet and Odyssey court access are down as well. “We at Fulton County take cybersecurity seriously and we place a high priority on the protection of sensitive information,” Pitts said.

Persons: Fani Willis, Willis, Donald Trump, Robb Pitts, Pitts, ” Pitts, “, ” Organizations: CNN, Georgia’s, county’s Department of Information Technology, FBI, Fulton, IT, The Atlanta, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Locations: Georgia’s Fulton County, Atlanta, county’s, Fulton County, Baltimore, New Mexico’s, Albuquerque, US

The House voted 95-75 along party lines for House Bill 881, sending it to the Senate for further debate. Monday's measure removes the requirement for Supreme Court approval. Trump on Thursday joined an effort by co-defendant Michael Roman to have Willis, Wade and their offices thrown off the case. Kemp has said he prefers that the prosecutor oversight panel and not the Senate committee probe any accusations of misconduct by Willis. But Democrats warn that removing the requirement for the Supreme Court to review rules could leave the commission itself without oversight.

Persons: Fani Willis ’, Donald Trump, Bill, Brian Kemp, Joseph Gullett, Willis, “, Donald J, Trump, ”, Sam Park, Nathan Wade, Michael Roman, Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Roman, Martin Luther King Jr, Wade —, —, Kemp, Tanya Miller, aren’t, Houston Gaines Organizations: ATLANTA, —, The, Senate, Georgia Gov, Commission, Dallas Republican, Democratic, Lawrenceville Democrat, Atlanta Democrat, Republicans, Athens Republican Locations: — Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, Wade, Athens

☆ Opinion: What could fall apart after Trump’s victory
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-28 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. CNN —In 2018, Irish journalist Fintan O’Toole proposed the “Yeats Test” to determine how bad things are in the world. Although … Haley is the last contender standing between former President Donald Trump and the Republican nomination…most Republican voters do not want an alternative to Trump; they overwhelmingly back him. Polling shows Trump even leads Haley in her home state of South Carolina.”Haley’s quest is going nowhere, wrote Daniel McCarthy. Join us on Twitter and FacebookTrump’s election-night needling of South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who endorsed the president over Haley, stood out.

Persons: Fintan O’Toole, Yeats, ” O’Toole, Donald Trump, —, William Butler Yeats, Mitch McConnell’s, Trump, doesn’t, Joe Biden, Clay Jones, Nikki Haley, ”, Raul Reyes, … Haley, Haley, Daniel McCarthy, Ron DeSantis, “, Paul Begala, South Carolina Sen, Tim Scott, Tim, ” Trump, Scott, E, Jean Carroll, Ana Marie Cox, Carroll —, Julian Zelizer, — Trump, ” Bill Bramhall, Biden, Douglas, Bruce A, Willis, John Avlon, Dean Obeidallah, Jon Stewart, Bill Burns, Lishay Lavi, Omri Miran, Roni, Alma, ” Lavi, ” Barbie, Oscar Bill Bramhall, New York Daily News Sara Stewart, Barbie ”, “ Tuesday’s Oscar, ‘ Barbie, Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Barbie, it’s, Brad Meltzer, Ken, ’, Hannah Ryan, Barbie ’, Sofia Coppola’s ‘ Priscilla ’, Priscilla Presley’s, Elvis —, Molly Manning Walker’s, Ava DuVernay’s, Noah Berlatsky, Dr, Strangelove ”, Peter Bergen, Elena Sheppard, Kyte, Nick Anderson, Narges Mohammadi, Jennifer Tucker, Wayne LaPierre, Erik German, Frida Ghitis, Elon Musk, Jill Filipovic, millennials, David S, Cohen, Greer Donley, Rachel Rebouché, David Mark, …, Lisa Benson, Suzanne Plunkett, Michelle Francl didn’t, Rosa Prince, You’re, you’ll Organizations: CNN, GOP, Republican, Trump, Polling, Florida Gov, Republican Party, ”, Twitter, Facebook, New York Daily, CIA, New York Daily News, Warner Bros, Warner Bros ., Academy, Counterpoint, NRA, Harvard, Bryn Mawr College, Boston Harbour Locations: Irish, “, Ukraine, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Iowa, New York, Douglas London, Georgia, Gaza, Israel, Bergen, Boston, Pennsylvania

“This has to do with following state funds,” said Republican Sen Matt Brass of Newnan. But the committee can't directly sanction Willis, and Democrats denounced it as a partisan attempt to try to play to Trump and his supporters. People can already be prosecuted for making false statements to Georgia lawmakers. Those are among the criminal charges that Rudy Giuliani and some others face for the false claims they made to Georgia lawmakers in late 2020. Most of the top supporters are Republican lawmakers who also publicly backed Trump's efforts to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results, including Republican Lt. Gov.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, ”, Republican Sen Matt Brass, Brian Kemp, Willis, “, Democratic Sen, David Lucas, Trump, Michael Roman, Nathan Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Roman, Wade, Martin Luther King Jr, Wade —, —, Republican State Sen, Brandon Beach, Rudy Giuliani, Joe Biden, Georgia's, Burt Jones, Jones, “ I’ve, ” Jones, I’ve, ” Kemp, Josh McLaurin, ” McLaurin Organizations: ATLANTA, —, Democratic, Republican, Trump, Republican State, ”, Republicans, Democrats, Gov, New Locations: — Georgia's, Fulton County, misspent, Macon, Atlanta, Miami, San Francisco, Brandon, Alpharetta, Georgia, New Hampshire

☆ Georgia state Senate approves special committee investigation into Fani Willis
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-26 | by ( Shirin Faqiri | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Georgia state Senate on Friday passed a resolution creating a special committee to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis amid allegations of an improper affair with her lead prosecutor in the 2020 election subversion case against former President Donald Trump. The resolution, which cleared the GOP-controlled state Senate 30-19, allows the special committee to subpoena people and evidence while putting witnesses under oath for their testimonies. “This resolution is about an officer of the state of Georgia, within a subdivision of the state of Georgia, and how they are using state funds,” Dolezal said on the Senate floor. Willis and Wade have not directly addressed the accusations, and the Fulton County district attorney’s office has not yet commented on the allegations specifically. The judge overseeing the case against Trump has given Willis until the end of next week to reply in writing to the allegations to the court.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Sen, Greg Dolezal, ” Dolezal, Willis, Nathan Wade, Mike Roman, Wade, ” Willis, Joe Biden, Trump Organizations: CNN, GOP, Trump, Big Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, A.M.E

☆ Trump joins effort to get Fulton County DA dismissed from 2020 election case over affair allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Donald Trump’s attorneys are joining calls for the dismissal of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in the 2020 election subversion case against the former president and his co-defendants in Georgia, pointing to alleged misconduct between Willis and her lead prosecutor. The filing also points to public comments Willis recently made defending her choice to select the lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, arguing that she violated Georgia rules for prosecutors. In comments Willis made at Atlanta’s Big Bethel A.M.E. Church earlier this month, the DA defended her team of prosecutors in the case, calling into question why only one of the three prosecutors was being attacked. The district attorney’s office declined to comment on the latest filing. Trump’s attorneys claim that Willis made a “calculated effort to foment racial bias” against the defendants with her comments, which run the risk of prejudicing the public and prospective jurors.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Fani Willis, Willis, Trump’s, Nathan Wade, Trump, ”, Steve Sadow, ” Willis, “, ” Trump, ” Sadow Organizations: CNN, Fulton County Superior Court, Big Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, A.M.E

☆ Trump Joins Motion to Disqualify Prosecutor in Georgia Election Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump on Thursday joined an effort to disqualify Fani T. Willis from leading the election interference case against Mr. Trump in Georgia, on the grounds that she created a conflict of interest by hiring her romantic partner to help prosecute the case. Mr. Trump’s lawyers also raised a new argument for ousting Ms. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney: that she violated state bar rules when she claimed in a recent speech that racism was behind the effort to remove her. The relationship claim surfaced on Jan. 8 in a filing from Michael Roman, one of Mr. Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia case. Six days later, Ms. Willis, who is Black, gave a speech at a church in Atlanta in which she suggested that her critics were “playing the race card” by criticizing her hiring of the special prosecutor, Nathan J. Ms. Willis has neither confirmed nor denied a relationship with Mr. Wade, though she has been ordered to provide a written response to Mr. Roman’s motion by next week.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Fani, Willis, Ms, Michael Roman, Trump’s, Nathan J, Wade Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta

☆ Opinion | Why Fani Willis Should Step Aside in the Trump Case in Georgia
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Clark D. Cunningham | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The case against Donald Trump in Georgia for allegedly participating in a criminal conspiracy to interfere with the 2020 election is more important than any individual actor managing the prosecution, and that includes the Fulton County district attorney, Fani Willis, and the case’s lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade. In recent weeks, Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade have found themselves in a spotlight that should belong to the serious charges against Mr. Trump. The two are the focus of a legal motion, and ensuing news reporting about a possible romantic relationship between them has explored whether it amounts to a conflict of interest with regard to the case. I’m a law professor in Georgia who teaches ethics and who has studied the legal consequences that might come if Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade are found to have a conflict, and I believe the judicious and farsighted course would be for Ms. Willis to take a personal leave of absence and turn over control of the district attorney’s office, and the case against Mr. Trump, to a career deputy district attorney. Doing so would be an act of public service by Ms. Willis — and more important, offers the best option for keeping the criminal case on track and holding Mr. Trump and his co-defendants accountable for their actions in the 2020 election if that is the just outcome.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Mr, Wade, Trump, I’m, Willis — Organizations: Mr Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

ATLANTA (AP) — Accusations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had an inappropriate relationship with a special prosecutor she hired to seek convictions of Donald Trump and others for interfering in Georgia's 2020 election have led to renewed calls to remove Willis from the case. Merchant alleges that Willis' office paid Wade large sums and that Willis improperly benefited when Wade then paid for the two of them to go on vacations. Willis, an elected Democrat, has shown no signs of stepping down, but there are ways she could be removed. COULD WILLIS STEP AWAY FROM THE CASE IN ORDER TO SAVE IT? Many Republicans would like to see Willis investigated by Georgia's new Prosecuting Attorneys Qualification Commission.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, Nathan Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Merchant, Wade, Wade's, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Robert McBurney, Sen, Burt Jones, Trump, “, McBurney, Jones, Danny Porter, WILLIS, it's, Porter, Norm Eisen, Barack Obama's, ”, Eisen, Mr, hasn’t, State Sen, Colton Moore, Bob Ellis, Fulton, Greg Dolezal, Cumming, ” Dolezal's Organizations: ATLANTA, Trump, White, Fulton, Georgia Republicans, Democratic, of, Atlanta —, Council, Commission, Republicans, Republican, GOP Locations: Fulton County, Miami, San Francisco, Fulton, of Georgia, Gwinnett County, Atlanta, Georgia, State, Trenton

MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — A judge on Monday ordered court records to be made public in the divorce involving a special prosecutor hired in the election case against Donald Trump and others and accused of having an affair with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. The judge said records must be unsealed in the divorce case involving Nathan Wade, whom a defense attorney has alleged is in inappropriate relationship with Willis. The judge put off a final decision on whether Willis will have to sit for questioning in the divorce case, but delayed her deposition that had been scheduled for Tuesday. Willis has defended her hiring of Wade, who has little prosecutorial experience, and has not directly denied a romantic relationship. Willis has accused Wade's estranged wife of trying to obstruct her criminal election interference case against Trump and others by seeking to question her in the couple’s divorce proceedings.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Wade's, Joycelyn Wade, Willis “, Nathan Wade —, Joycelyn, “, ” Trump Organizations: Trump, White Locations: MARIETTA, Ga, Fulton County, San Francisco, Napa Valley , Florida, Belize, Panama, Australia, Miami, Georgia

☆ Judge temporarily blocks deposition of Trump Georgia DA Fani Willis in divorce case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Dan Mangan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Georgia judge on Monday blocked — for now — a deposition of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis by lawyers in the divorce of special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom Willis appointed to oversee the criminal election case of former President Donald Trump. Cobb County Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson said he needed to hear what Nathan Wade said in his deposition before determining if Willis should be deposed in the divorce by Jocelyn Wade's lawyers. Willis is seeking to block the deposition amid questions of whether she engaged in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade at the same time he and his law firm were being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by Fulton County to act as special counsel in Trump's criminal case. Trump is charged with racketeering and other charges related to his efforts to undo his loss in Georgia's 2020 election to President Joe Biden. Thompson also Monday said he would unseal the Wades' divorce case, after noting that procedures for sealing the case from public view were not followed.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Donald Trump, Henry Thompson, Jocelyn Wade's, Wade, he's, Thompson, Trump, Joe Biden Organizations: Fulton Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Cobb

☆ How Allegations of an Office Romance Came to Complicate the Case Against Trump
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Serge F. Kovaleski | Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Soon after her victory, she set up a group to interview job candidates called the Integrity Transition Hiring Committee. Wade, a lawyer and municipal court judge from the Atlanta suburbs whom she counted as a longtime friend and mentor. But in recent days, allegations have surfaced that Mr. Wade was not only a mentor to Ms. Willis, but also a romantic partner. The allegations appeared in a court motion filed this month by Michael Roman, one of Mr. Trump’s 14 co-defendants in the Georgia case. In an interview with The New York Times, a person familiar with the situation said the two had grown close after meeting in a legal education course for judges in 2019 — some two years before Ms. Willis hired Mr. Wade as special prosecutor in the Trump case.

Persons: Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Donald J, Trump, ”, Michael Roman, Trump’s, Mr Organizations: The New York Times Locations: Georgia’s Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia

☆ Georgia prosecutor on Trump case paid for trips with District Attorney Willis on his credit card, court filing shows
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jason Morris | Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The special prosecutor hired by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to pursue the criminal case against former President Donald Trump bought tickets for Willis to accompany him on at least two out-of-state trips, records released Friday show. The motion comes as a Fulton County commissioner has launched an inquiry into allegations that Willis misused county funds and “accepted valuable gifts and personal benefits” from Nathan Wade, according to a letter obtained by CNN. Willis has received a subpoena to appear at a deposition as part of the divorce proceedings on Tuesday. And on January 31, there is a hearing at Cobb County Superior Court regarding whether to unseal the records in the divorce case. The Fulton County judge overseeing the Georgia election subversion case has also set a February 15 hearing to consider another motion seeking to disqualify Willis over allegations of an “improper” relationship with Nathan Wade.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, Joycelyn Wade, Nathan Wade, “, Willis jeopardizing, ” Willis, Trump, ”, Joycelyn’s, Bob Ellis, Wade, ” Ellis, Ellis, Mike Roman Organizations: CNN, Fulton, Court, Republican, Trump Locations: Fulton County, Cobb County, Miami, San Francisco, Georgia, Cobb, Fulton

☆ Fani Willis Affair Claims Are Nothing More Than Bad Optics: Experts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Associated Press | Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Allegations have surfaced of an affair between Fulton County DA Fani Willis and an attorney she hired. AdvertisementFulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hired attorney Nathan Wade to lead the Georgia prosecution of Donald Trump and 18 others over efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The lawyer is seeking to get the indictment tossed and to remove Willis and Wade from the case. Outside of any effect on this case, Willis, an elected Democrat, is up for reelection this year, and this could become a campaign issue depending on how she ultimately responds. Records show Wade billed for what he described as "travel to Athens; conf with White House Counsel" in May 2022.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Donald Trump, —, Wade, Wade —, Trump, vies, it's, Rahmani, Anthony Michael Kreis, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Merchant, unseal, Joycelyn Wade, Joycelyn, Jeff DiSantis, John Floyd, Anna Cross, Wade's, Thurbert Baker, Baker, It's, Neil Warren, foreperson, Georgia —, There's, Peter Strzok, Robert James, that's, I've, James Organizations: Service, Trump, West, Trial, Georgia State University, Associated Press, White, Caribbean, AP, Defense, White House, Records, DC Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Napa Valley , Florida, Caribbean, Wade's, San Francisco, Belize, Panama, Australia, Miami, Cobb County, Athens, Russia, DeKalb County , Georgia

☆ Credit Card Statements Suggest Prosecutors in Trump Case Traveled Together
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wade, included what it said were statements for a credit card account belonging to Mr. Wade. The statements showed that he bought plane tickets for himself and Ms. Willis, including tickets to San Francisco from Atlanta purchased on April 25, 2023, and to Miami from Atlanta purchased on Oct. 4, 2022. The release of the credit card statements follows a motion filed last week by Michael Roman, one of Mr. Trump’s 14 co-defendants in the Georgia case. That motion, which did not include any proof, claimed that Ms. Willis was having a romantic relationship with Mr. Wade that began before she hired him in 2021 to manage the high-profile case. The motion also stated that Mr. Wade, who has been paid more than $650,000 by the district attorney’s office, paid for vacations with Ms. Willis.

Persons: Fani, Willis, Donald J, Trump, Joycelyn Wade, Nathan J, Wade, Michael Roman, Trump’s, Mr Organizations: Atlanta Locations: Atlanta, Georgia, Francisco, Miami

☆ Trump Prosecutor in Georgia Seeks to Avoid Testifying in Colleague’s Divorce Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A court filing last week accused Ms. Willis of having a romantic relationship with the prosecutor, Nathan J. The motion containing the accusation was filed by Michael Roman, one of Mr. Trump’s 14 co-defendants in the criminal case. The motion argues that the relationship, which it provided no proof of, amounted to a conflict of interest; it seeks to have Mr. Wade, Ms. Willis and her office dismissed from the case. Mr. Roman’s lawyer has said that sealed court records in the pending divorce case between Mr. Wade’ and his wife, Joycelyn, contain documentation of his relationship with Ms. Willis. Ms. Wade’s lawyer subpoenaed Ms. Willis last week, requiring her to be deposed on Jan. 23.

Persons: Willis, Donald J, Trump, Nathan J, Wade, Michael Roman, Trump’s, Wade ’, Ms, Jan Locations: Georgia

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