Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is prosecuting Donald Trump and others for alleged election interference, has claimed that allegations of her having an improper romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade are racist, and that efforts are being focused on Wade due to his skin color.
“First thing they say, ‘Oh, she’s gonna play the race card now,'” said Willis during an appearance at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta on Sunday.
Court documents filed earlier this month allege that Willis hired Wade, her alleged romantic partner, to work on the Trump case, resulting in personal financial gain for the DA in the form of extravagant vacations the pair went on that were funded by the proceeds Wade’s firm received for working the case.
Accusations against Willis include ‘improper’ and ‘clandestine’ involvement with Wade at the same time as appointments were being made for the 2020 election interference case. The complainant, Mike Roman, a former 2020 Trump campaign official, claims that the integrity of the case was compromised due to the alleged affair. Roman has requested the charges against him be dropped on these grounds, arguing that Willis chose to appoint her romantic partner, who was a married man.
Fulton County records show that since January 2022 Wade has been paid approximately $654,000 in legal fees, a sum directly approved by Willis. A call embodied in the court documents requests that the entirety of the district attorney’s office, including Willis and Wade, be disqualified from conducting the prosecution of the case.