The chairman of the Fulton County Audit Committee demanded that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis respond after court papers alleged she engaged in an “improper” and “clandestine” relationship with one of her special prosecutors, Nathan Wade.
Specifically, the chairman, Bob Ellis, sent a letter to Ms. Willis late last week asking whether she engaged in a “romantic relationship” with Mr. Wade or if she “misused” county funds. He also asked whether she “accepted valuable gifts and personal benefits from a contractor [or] recipient of County funds.”
A former Trump aide, Michael Roman, who was also charged, filed a motion earlier in January that made the allegations against Ms. Willis and Ms. Wade. While the court papers provided few details and no corroborating evidence, neither party have denied the claims, and Mr. Roman’s lawyer said she has witnesses who are willing to testify.
In a speech last weekend, Ms. Willis suggested that racial animus is playing a role in the new allegations against her. She did not provide evidence for the claims.
“These allegations involve your decision to appoint Nathan Wade to serve as a special prosecutor in the matter in which former President Trump is a co-defendant,” Mr. Ellis wrote. “Mr. Wade is alleged to (1) lack relevant prosecutorial experience in a case of this type and complexity, (2) have paid for your portion of multiple instances of joint leisure travel, and (3) be in a romantic relationship with you that was not disclosed to the court or to the parties in the case.”
Mr. Ellis made reference to credit card statements from a leaked filing in Mr. Wade’s divorce case that showed he purchased plane tickets that had included Ms. Willis’ name. Reports say that he filed for divorce from his wife in November 2021, which was also the same day that his Fulton County-funded role in the district attorney’s office started.
His letter also demanded that the district attorney’s office provide invoices, costs, fees, and other expenses since Jan. 1, 2021. He gave her a deadline for Feb. 2, 2024.
Calls to Step Down
It comes as a Democratic Party operative who was involved in former President Trump’s first impeachment inquiry suggested in a recent interview that Ms. Willis may need to step down.
Norm Eisen, former U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic and who was involved in what was described as a secretive effort to prevent President Trump’s reelection in 2020, said that Ms. Willis should consider removing herself from an election-related case
“My view is that the law does not require Mr. Wade to step down, but I think it would be the wise thing for him to voluntarily consider doing so,” Mr. Eisen told The Hill on Saturday. “The advice that I would give Mr. Wade, if he asked me would be that this is a good time to step away from the case.”
Mr. Eisen has been described as an ally to Ms. Willis, a Democrat. He also also involved in the House Democrat-led impeachment inquiry targeting President Trump in late 2019 and served as Democrats’ counsel during the proceedings, asking various legal experts questions about whether the former president’s activity that was being investigated was illegal.
The former U.S. ambassador said that there is no law in Georgia that mandates Ms. Willis step down, while he claimed that the evidence against President Trump and the dozen or so other defendants is “strong” and “powerful.” But he stipulated that the district attorney could become a distraction against the case. The former president, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and others have denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.
“Trump could not have done that alone and his alleged co-conspirators, like [Mr. Roman] need to be the focus of these proceedings,” Mr. Eisen added, referring to the defendant who made the allegations against Ms. Willis.
The district attorney doesn’t have any “legal obligation to step down,” he also said, adding: “Their management of the case has been successful. She was elected by the people of Fulton County to prosecute crimes, and this is a serious one that impacted her jurisdiction. So I not only think that she can remain, but I think that she must remain and continue working on the case.”
Ms. Willis has not indicated whether she will step down from the case. During her speech last week, she defended Mr. Wade and also defended her office’s handling of the case.
The Epoch Times contacted the Fulton County District Attorney’s office for comment Sunday.
From The Epoch Times
