Fani Willis and Nathan Wade no longer have to testify following 'last minute' agreement



Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and one of her top prosecutors, Nathan Wade, will no longer have to testify in a hearing to answer questions about a potential inappropriate relationship.

An attorney for Mike Roman — one of former President Donald Trump's co-defendants in the Fulton County RICO case — previously accused Willis and Wade of carrying on a secret relationship, arguing that it constituted a conflict of interest. Reuters also reported that Wade paid for two non-work flights for he and Willis to both San Francisco and Aruba, after bank records emerged from the divorce proceedings.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday that Wade reached a "last minute settlement agreement" with his estranged wife, Joycelyn Mayfield Wade, which struck Wednesday's hearing from the calendar. And because the agreement will not be filed before the court, the terms may never become public.

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Even though Wade's divorce has been settled, Willis is still expected to respond to the allegations from Roman's attorney by Friday, February 2. The controversy over Willis and Wade's relationship has prompted Norman Eisen, who is a Willis ally, to call on the district attorney to remove Wade from the case. Eisen acknowledged that a relationship between coworkers wouldn't constitute a conflict of interest and that there's no specific legal reason to dismiss Wade other than to prevent Trump's legal team from using his presence to distract from the facts of the case.

"There is an overwhelming amount of evidence justifying the decision to prosecute Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators," Eisen said. "The evidence is strong. The case is powerful. It’s very likely to lead to conviction. And we mustn't lose time on the calendar given the paramount public interest in bringing that strong case to a speedy conclusion."

Willis has asked for an August trial date to try the remaining defendants who haven't entered guilty pleas. That date may end up getting moved up earlier in the year, as both of Department of Justice special counsel Jack Smith's federal trials will likely be delayed due to appeals before the Supreme Court of the United States and the DC Circuit Court of Appeals pertaining to Trump's disqualification from the Colorado ballot, and the question of absolute presidential immunity, respectively.

Judge Scott McAfee scheduled a hearing for February 15 to hear arguments from both Roman's attorney and Willis. That hearing will be publicly televised.

READ MORE: Legal expert explains the one thing Fani Willis has to do to save her Trump investigation

The Washington Post's full report is available here (subscription required).



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