by Ben Whedon and Natalia Mittelstadt
Willis and Wade have admitted to a "personal relationship," though they claim it began after she hired him and that there exists no conflict of interest in the case.
The hearing began on Thursday regarding Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade over their relationship and the resulting potential conflicts of interest.
Willis last year indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia. She had hired Wade as a special prosecutor to pursue the case. Co-defendant Mike Roman first raised the allegations in January, claiming the pair "engaged in an improper, clandestine personal relationship" and have profited from the case. Wade has been paid roughly $654,000 in legal fees from January 2022 through December 2023, he claimed.
Willis and Wade have admitted to a "personal relationship," though they claim it began after she hired him and that there exists no conflict of interest in the case. Defense attorneys for Roman, however, insist the relationship preceded Wade's hiring.
The hearing began on Thursday with many of the co-defendants in the case waiving their right to appear in the hearing.
Judge Scott McAfee, who will preside over the hearing, on Monday suggested that Willis could be removed from the case, telling the court that the allegations against her "could result in a disqualification."
In the Monday hearing, Roman's attorney indicated that Terrence Bradley, Wade's ex-law partner, would testify that Wade and Willis's relationship began before she hired him, The Hill reported.
Late last month, Wade abruptly settled his divorce dispute with his estranged wife Jocelyn Mayfield Wade ahead of a planned hearing in which he was expected to discuss his finances and travel with Willis. Court filings in the divorce case revealed that Wade bought tickets for at least two out-of-state trips with Willis. Of those, one was a 2022 trip to Miami, Fla., and a 2023 trip to San Francisco, Calif.
Willis steadfastly denies having received any benefit from her relationship with Wade.
This is a developing story...
Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.
Ben Whedon and Natalia Mittelstadt
Source: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/thufani-willis-trump-special-prosecutor-face-pivotal-hearing-over-alleged-conflict
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