Hearing set on claims against Ga. DA prosecuting Trump

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A hearing has been set for Feb. 15 on allegations Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has had an improper relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she hired to assist in her investigation and subsequent indictment of former President Donald Trump.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing “The State v, Donald John Trump,” issued the order for the hearing on Thursday. The hearing itself is set for 9:30 a.m., and McAfee has given prosecutors until Feb. 2 to file a response.

Willis is the locally elected district attorney who issued dozens of indictments in August 2023 accusing Trump and his allies of trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

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The indictments say Trump and his allies suggested Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, could find enough votes for him to win the battleground state; harassed an election worker who faced false claims of fraud; and attempted to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of electors favorable to Trump.

One of the 19 people charged in Willis’ indictment is Michael Roman, a former White House aide who served as the director of Trump’s election day operations. Prosecutors allege Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election, a charge to which Roman has pleaded not guilty.

Last week, Roman and his attorney Ashleigh Merchant accused Willis of having a “personal, romantic relationship” with Wade. Roman also claims Willis and Wade benefited financially from the alleged relationship.

Roman’s court filing claims Willis and Wade took lavish vacations together and that Wade used part of his salary from the district attorney’s office to travel with Willis. Merchant also claims to have discovered “outside of court filings” that Willis and Wade went on trips together.

The court document claims the relationship began before Wade was appointed to the case. Roman and his attorney claim Willis also failed to get county approval to appoint Wade as special prosecutor.

Roman’s attorney is asking the court to disqualify both Willis and Wade from prosecuting the RICO case and to drop all the charges against Roman.

On Sunday, Willis made her first public comments since the accusations when she spoke at Atlanta’s oldest black church, Big Bethel AME. Willis never confirmed or denied the accusations, or mentioned Wade by name.

After her address, Trump’s lead Georgia attorney, Steve Sadow, accused Willis of playing “the race card” in her response to allegations she has had an improper affair with Wade.