A special prosecutor in the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump paid for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to fly with him to San Francisco and Miami, court documents filed Friday show.
Detailed credit card statements included in the filing on behalf of Joycelyn Wade in her divorce case with special prosecutor Nathan Wade indicate that flights for both Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade were purchased together.
Ms. Wade has alleged that her husband had a romantic relationship with the Fulton County district attorney, who hired him to probe President Trump.
Last week, one of President Trump’s co-defendants in the election case made a similar accusation, claiming that the allegations have undermined the credibility of the racketeering indictment against them.
The bank statements disclosed in Friday’s filing suggest that Mr. Wade paid for Ms. Willis to travel with him at a time when prosecutors were actively investigating President Trump.
Flights from Atlanta to Miami on American Airlines were purchased on Oct. 4, 2022, and flights from Atlanta to San Francisco were bought on April 25, 2023, the bank statements show. Additional transactions at a Napa Valley hotel on May 14, 2023, were also recorded in the statements.
“The evidence is clear that Ms. Willis was an intended travel partner for at least some of these trips as indicated by flights he purchased for her to accompany him,” Andrea Hastings, an attorney for Ms. Wade, wrote in the filing.
Mr. Wade, an attorney with a private law firm, has argued at nearly every hearing in the Trump case since its inception.
Mike Roman, the Trump case defendant who originally brought to light the alleged relationship, alleged that Mr. Wade had been paid about $650,000 at a rate of $250 per hour with public funds and had received other funds that were used to pay for “lavish” vacations with Ms. Willis.
Ms. Willis has filed a motion seeking to avoid being deposed in the divorce proceedings, alleging that Ms. Wade has “conspired with interested parties” in the Trump case “to annoy, embarrass, and oppress” her.
Ms. Wade’s attorney pushed back against this on Friday, insisting that Ms. Wade seeks the Fulton County district attorney’s deposition “in order to determine details surrounding her romantic affair” with Mr. Wade, “as there appears to be no reasonable explanation for their travels apart from a romantic relationship.”
“Contrary to Ms. Wills’s belief, the Defendant is not utilizing the deposition to harass her but rather to seek pertinent information from her husband’s paramour regarding her relationship with Plaintiff and the extent of the Plaintiff’s financial involvement in the same,” Ms. Hastings wrote.
Ms. Willis’ deposition is also expected to shed light on the division of assets between the Wades, according to the filing.
Alleged Relationship Grounds for Trump Case Dismissal: Defendant
In the Trump case, the Fulton County district attorney was recently given a Feb. 2 deadline to respond to a motion alleging improper use of funds and that she had a romantic relationship with Mr. Wade.
Mr. Roman cited anonymous sources and did not provide evidence in his 100-plus page filing, but he later said he had witnesses ready to testify against Ms. Willis.
The case’s presiding judge, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, has scheduled a hearing for Feb. 15.
In the filing, Mr. Roman argued that the alleged behavior of Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade was grounds for dismissal of the charges against President Trump and dismissal of the district attorney and her team from further involvement in the case.
Mr. Roman’s filing alleging the relationship noted that it was a bold claim to make but contended that regardless, Ms. Willis’ “fame and power do not change the fact that she decided to appoint as the special prosecutor a person with whom she had a personal relationship and who is now leading the day-to-day prosecution of this case.”
Mr. Roman was a strategist who participated in the 2020 Trump campaign.
On Jan. 15, Ms. Willis publicly addressed the allegations for the first time at a church service honoring Martin Luther King Jr., saying it was her right to appoint three special counselors.
“It’s my right to do. Paid them all the same hourly rate,” she said. “They only attack one. I hired one white woman: a good personal friend and great lawyer, a superstar, I tell you. I hired one white man: brilliant, my friend, and a great lawyer. And I hired one black man, another superstar, a great friend, and a great lawyer.”
“Isn’t it them playing the race card when they only question one?” Ms. Willis said.
She touted Mr. Wade’s resume and didn’t respond to allegations of an affair or misuse of funds.
Catherine Yang contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
