Lead prosecutor in Georgia election subversion case under scrutiny over alleged affair with DA

[Jose Garcia]

Source: CNN

Fulton County, GA
CNN
—
When Nathan Wade was appointed lead prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case in 2021 to prosecute former President Donald Trump, some of his closest allies, lawyers in Cobb County where Wade practiced law, universally wondered, “Why him?”

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis had the largest staff of any judicial circuit in Georgia, including salaried lawyers with more experience as felony prosecutors. Wade had once been a prosecutor briefly, but mostly handled misdemeanors and never such a high-profile case.

More than two years later, questions are surfacing about Wade’s role. One of Trump’s co-defendants facing criminal charges over efforts to overturn the 2020 election has alleged in court papers that Wade is romantically involved with Willis and used money he billed the district attorney’s office for his work on the case to take her on lavish vacations.

While the filing didn’t include direct evidence of their romantic involvement, Willis was served this week with a subpoena to appear at a deposition in Wade’s divorce proceedings.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/12/politics/nathan-wade-fani-willis-da-georgia-election-subversion-case/index.html

[iluvtennis]

1. Any romantic involvement with Willis isn't germane to his job in prosecuting the Georgia Election

Interference case.

I'd bet money that this is dirt that tfg's team is digging up to try to disqualify Wade and Willis.

If the guy has been doing his prosecutor duties for 2 years without concerns, this is a non issue.

And besides, it's really RICH for tfg to try to disparage anyone because of an affair

[jimfields33]

4. Sounds like the wife wants answers

[marble falls]

10. He filed for divorce the day after he was hired. So it's not like he was living a double life.

[Walleye]

2. This is like Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

Look for them to harp on it constantly while it has nothing to do with the case against Trump. They just love them to smear dirt

[JoseBalow]

15. Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden

[Dem2theMax]

17. That's Sarah Paulson and Sterling K Brown.

[JoseBalow]

20. Oh no, is it? LOL!

I tried to choose the least unflattering picture when I searched for Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden

The casting director sure did a good job, they look spot-on!



If this isn't actually them, I give up!

[Dem2theMax]

25. Lol! I think you got the right pictures this time.

That is so funny. Sterling K Brown is one of my favorite actors, so I recognized him immediately. And then I looked at the supposed Marcia Clark, and I thought to myself, 'I don't think that's her!'

The casting director did a great job for all of the leads in that series. Not surprised you were fooled.

[Ponietz]

3. Don't forget: MAGAts are liars

[Six117]

8. THIS

Endeth the lesson!

[AllaN01Bear]

18. sounds made up to me .e

[SouthernDem4ever]

5. It makes no difference if they are doing their jobs correctly.

Unless there's a law I don't know about banning relationships. It's hard to imagine though. Just the thought of Drump is a romance killer - unless ugly overweight loudmouth felons is a turn on for them.

[SlimJimmy]

6. I found this ...

The standard for disqualification, he said, was set in a 2014 Georgia Supreme Court decision, McLaughlin v. Payne, which found that a district attorney should have been disqualified because of a personal interest in the case.

https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/will-bombshell-allegations-of-romance-between-georgia-da-special-prosecutor-lead-to-tossed-charges

So, if they can show that certain funds were used for vacations and such, then they might be able to show that she had a personal interest in the case.

[SouthernDem4ever]

7. Let's hope that isn't the case

They should know better and I hope the evidence reflects that.

[dpibel]

16. The experts in your source disagree

Here's the material surrounding what you quoted:

First, the allegations must be backed up with evidence, the experts told Law360. And if there is evidence, it is unlikely that the case will be tossed, the experts said.

“If they have enough evidence to move forward, then the fact that there’s a potential conflict of interest because maybe she should not have picked her boyfriend—if he is her boyfriend—I am struggling to see how that is grounds to get the whole thing dismissed,” said Jan Jacobowitz, an ethics expert at the University of Miami School of Law.

Clark Cunningham, a professor at the Georgia State University College of Law, said the allegations could lead to investigations of Willis by state ethics officials or by a new prosecutor oversight commission being created in the state. The standard for disqualification, he said, was set in a 2014 Georgia Supreme Court decision, McLaughlin v. Payne, which found that a district attorney should have been disqualified because of a personal interest in the case.

“It may seem to people kind of far-fetched that Mr. Roman is being prosecuted, so that [Willis] can take a vacation in the Caribbean,” Cunningham told WABE.

I'm thinking "personal interest in the case" is more like "will benefit from the outcome of the case." Which is substantially different from "used the income for vacations."

[SlimJimmy]

23. I think it's a fine line.

If I'm using funds that are supposed to go toward the prosecution of the case for personal purposes and having the DA as a part of it, that may qualify as a conflict, or possibly an ethics violation. Either way, it's not a good look for either of them.

[dpibel]

24. I think you're kinda making things up

Can you show me any claim that funds were diverted?

The guy got paid, as would anyone in that position. He then spent his money as he wanted to.

That's what people get to do with money they've earned!

Maybe it's different for police officers.

[SlimJimmy]

30. When he turns over all discovery materials requested, we'll know.

BTW, the "funds" were paid to his firm (not him personally) and earmarked specifically for the prosecution of the case, not for his personal use. I think you might be confusing personal and professional payments to a firm.

[dpibel]

31. Keep on tryin' big guy

What's a personal payment to a firm? Or is that last sentence in alternative English?

Once the guy has earned pay, and the firm pays it, whose money is it?

Are you saying the money was "earmarked specifically for the prosecution of the case," excluding paying the attorneys who were working the case?

Is this what they teach in police school?

Edit:

Going back to the unimpeachable source you cited in post 6:

The Jan. 8 court filing said Wade has earned more than $650,000 in legal fees since November 2021 in the case, and some of the money has been spent on the couple’s Caribbean cruises and vacations to California and Florida.

See how that works?

[SlimJimmy]

32. The legal fees were paid specifically to prosecute the case.

Why else would they be paid to him or his firm? See how that works, big guy?

[dpibel]

33. And once he has earned the

fees and they have been paid to him (the situation described in your source), he can spend them however he wants.

You really cannot be not getting this, so I'm no going to continue this particular back and forth, which has an eerily familiar feel to it.

There's no point in discussing things with people who seem to intentionally fail to understand what they are talking about.

[SlimJimmy]

34. Fine with me.

Well see what happens when she testifies in wade's divorce case.

[karynnj]

22. Wouldnt a personal interest in the case mean a connection, negative or positive, to one of the defendants?

By definition, she and her entire team are working toward the same goals. As to him using his pay toward vacations ignores that he might not be making more money working for the state than he made as a private lawyer.

[marble falls]

9. If he's doing the job competantly, then just plain, WTF.

[V850i]

11. Will they use the law just passed to remove her?

I would imagine the R run legislature is eager to use their new law to remove her and appoint a MAGA DA.

[orangecrush]

12. Welcome to DU

[BlueNIndiana]

13. It's all just cover for the Governor to remove her.

[PortTack]

28. Brian Kemp stated last fall that he would not be seeking to remove Willis

https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/08/31/georgia-gov-kemp-rejects-push-to-oust-fulton-county-da-for-charging-trump/

[oldmanlynn]

14. Fani willis may have screwed up

We will see but she may screwed up resulting in her having to come off the case and republicans picking the new prosecutor.

I hope im wrong but if not why would she not pay attention to this. Blows my mind.

[sop]

19. This isn't good news.

Trump and all his media enablers will portray this as a huge scandal. And even if Willis is not disqualified, a hearing into all these allegations will most likely delay the start of the trial scheduled to begin on August 5.

Delay, delay, delay....

[Karma13612]

21. WTAF

We were so close…

This is going to blow up along with one less shot at getting the orange scum sucking B@STARD!!!!!!!!!!

It doesn’t matter if it was true or not, or unethical or bad optics or anything.
It’s out there and it just turned into a right mess. I honestly believe Fanni and Wade haven’t done anything wrong. But, it doesn’t matter. The glass has been broken and the fire alarm has been activated.

For the love of that is good and reasonable and just- CAN’T WE EVER CATCH A BREAK???!

Yes I’m over reacting. I’m just fed up with it all. I’m putting myself in a time out. So, no body has to chastise me. I’ll come back later.

🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

[Sneederbunk]

26. This is a problem.

Self-inflicted.

[BOSSHOG]

27. So magas want to judge

Someone on values, integrity and morality? I’m confident they will fuck up this attempt as well. All to keep a moral degenerate from doing more harm.

[PortTack]

29. Harry Litman seems to think the evidence is "sketchy" at best