Fanie Willis with Nathan Wade at a press conference last year Photo: ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/REUTERS
The district attorney prosecuting Donald Trump in Georgia admitted to having a relationship with the lawyer handling the case, bolstering the former US president's efforts to derail the trial.
Fani Willis has spoken out about allegations that she had an «inappropriate, secret» relationship with Nathan Wade for the first time on Friday, nearly a month after co-defendant Trump tried to have both lawyers removed from the case.
Ms. Willis brought racketeering charges against Trump, alleging he conspired with 18 other people overturned his defeat in the 2020 elections in the state.
She hired Mr Wade, a lawyer with limited prosecution experience, to work on the case in November 2021.
His firm was paid more than $653,000 (£516,500) by Ms Willis's office since he was brought to justice. external prosecutor.
Rumors of the pair's affair have led to claims of criminal charges for personal gain, with one co-defendant alleging Ms Willis hired Mr Wade so he could spend thousands of dollars on trips «all over the world». world.»
Ms. Willis called the allegations «salacious» but confirmed a «personal relationship» with Mr. Wade in a court hearing on Friday.
She said attempts to remove her case «does not make sense» and noted that among the group of lawyers involved «there are at least two personal relatives.»
Trump, 77, was immediately arrested. Ms. Willis' confession to support her claims of foul play.
He wrote on social media: “By going after the highest ranking person and candidate of the Republican Party, she was able to get from her “lover” much more money, almost a million dollars, than she could have gotten for the prosecution. any other person or individual.”
He added: “THIS MEANS THAT THIS FRAUD IS COMPLETELY DISCREDITED & THE END!”
Electoral defeat
At the center of the case against Mr. Trump is a now-infamous call in which he pressured Georgia's top election official to «get 11,780 votes» to reverse his election loss to Joe Biden. state.
The Georgia prosecution is one of the most serious facing a GOP leader, in part because, because it is a state criminal case, it would not be eligible for a presidential pardon if he is convicted.
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For weeks, Mr. Trump and two co-defendants sought to have Ms. Willis disqualified and the charges dropped, arguing that the Fulton County district attorney benefited financially from her relationship with Mr. Wade.
One of the co-defendants , Michael Roman, said the court document said Mr. Wade paid for a luxury vacation with Ms. Willis while her office paid him for his work on the case.
Divorce
Acrimonious divorce proceedings between Mr Wade and his ex-wife have revealed significant travel expenses, including airfare to Miami with Ms Willis, as well as $2,600 (£2,057) paid to Royal Caribbean Cruises in 2022.< /p>
While Ms. Willis insists that her personal relationships have nothing to do with the charges. Even her allies reportedly fear that public confidence in the case has been irreparably damaged.
In written testimony, Ms. Willis testified that there were no personal connections. relationship between her and Mr. Wade when she appointed him as special prosecutor.
“The existence of a relationship between members of the prosecution team is, in itself, simply not a status that entitles a criminal defendant to any remedy legal protection,» the document says.
She insisted that the affair «never brought her any direct or indirect financial benefit.»
In his testimony, Mr. Wade testified , that the relationship began after his appointment to this case, the couple never lived together and that all travel expenses were divided between them.
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