House Judiciary Committee Launches Inquiry Into Fani Willis’ Special Trump Prosecutor

A special prosecutor playing a key role in the Fulton County election interference case against President Trump is facing a House Judiciary inquiry
House Judiciary Committee Launches Inquiry Into Fani Willis’ Special Trump Prosecutor
Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade (L) and executive district attorney Daysha Young confer during a hearing in the election interference case against President Trump, at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 1, 2023. (John David Mercer-Pool/Getty Images)
Tom Ozimek
1/12/2024
Updated:
1/12/2024
0:00

Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor playing a leading role in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump in Georgia, is now part of a House Judiciary probe into the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office’s “politically motivated prosecution” of the former president and alleged misuse of federal funds.

According to a letter from House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Mr. Wade is believed to be in possession of documents and information regarding the “coordination of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office (FCDAO) with other politically motivated investigations and prosecutions, as well as the potential misuse of federal funds.”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis—who is accused of having an “improper” personal relationship with Mr. Wade and benefiting from it financially—brought the election interference case against President Trump and more than a dozen co-defendants under Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, a law drafted to fight organized crime.
(L) Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building in Atlanta on Aug. 14, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)\; Former President Donald Trump leaves at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 12, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)
(L) Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks during a news conference at the Fulton County Government building in Atlanta on Aug. 14, 2023. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)\; Former President Donald Trump leaves at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines, Iowa, on Aug. 12, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

President Trump and Republicans have alleged that Ms. Willis’ case against the former president is a politically-driven prosecution meant to derail his 2024 comeback bid.

Now, Mr. Wade is being asked to provide the House Judiciary Committee with various documents—including notes, memos, invoices, and contracts—that relate to the committee’s “serious concerns” about “improper coordination among politicized actors—including the Biden White House—to investigate and prosecute President Biden’s chief political opponent.”

The documents relate to meetings, communications, and other engagements between Ms. Willis’ office (including Mr. Wade) and the Justice Department, the White House, the Jan. 6 Select Committee, and the White House Counsel’s Office, in regards to the Trump case.

Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade watches as defendant Kenneth Chesebro accepts a plea deal during a hearing in front of Superior Judge Scott McAfee at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 20, 2023. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty Images)
Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade watches as defendant Kenneth Chesebro accepts a plea deal during a hearing in front of Superior Judge Scott McAfee at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., on Oct. 20, 2023. (Alyssa Pointer/Getty Images)

Mr. Jordan’s letter cites reports that purportedly corroborate Mr. Wade’s “coordination with partisan Democrats” on the case, including that he and Ms. Willis’ staff “quietly met” with the Jan. 6 committee, which allegedly gave the case against President Trump a “boost” and provided Mr. Wade with access to records that it withheld from other law enforcement agencies and even from Congress.

Invoices from Mr. Wade’s office, which were shared on social media by Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), show that Mr. Wade held meetings with White House officials in May 2022 and November 2022 “while building the political prosecution of Donald Trump.”

Mr. Jordan’s letter also features an invoice showing a “Jan. 6 meeting” and “Interview with DC/White House,” while stating that all the recently surfaced information reinforce the committee’s concerns about politically motivated prosecutions.

Neither the White House nor Ms. Willis’ office responded to a request for comment about the House Judiciary probe involving Mr. Wade nor to a request for clarification about the subject of his meetings with White House officials.

Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade speaks during a hearing in the 2020 Georgia election interference case at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 1, 2023. (John David Mercer-Pool/Getty Images)
Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade speaks during a hearing in the 2020 Georgia election interference case at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., on Dec. 1, 2023. (John David Mercer-Pool/Getty Images)

‘Improper Relationship’

Former Trump attorney Michael Roman, a co-defendant in the Fulton County case, on Monday filed a motion in court alleging that Ms. Willis had an “improper” relationship with Mr. Wade—and that she financially benefited from their alleged relationship.

Mr. Roman alleged that Mr. Wade, who has played a key role in the case against President Trump, paid for vacations with Ms. Willis while using Fulton County funds that his private law firm had received.

The filing further states that Mr. Wade allegedly had a “lack of relevant experience” although he was paid hundreds of thousands of dollars by the county.

Mr. Roman’s filing accuses Ms. Willis of having potentially committed “an act to defraud the public of honest services” due to what he called an “intentional failure” to disclose her alleged relationship with Mr. Wade, which she “personally benefitted from.”

Records obtained by a local media outlet show that Mr. Wade has been paid over $650,000 in legal fees since January 2022 and that the district attorney is the one who authorizes it.

Mr. Roman’s filing alleges that checks sent to Mr. Wade from Fulton County and vacations that he purchased with Ms. Willis could amount to honest services fraud, which is a federal crime.

Revelations about the alleged relationship between Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis—which have not been publicly denied by either of them—prompted Trump-ally Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) to file a criminal misconduct complaint against the pair.

“Georgians are sick and tired of Fani using her office to go after Joe Biden’s top political opponent rather than going after real crime in Georgia,” the lawmaker said in a post on X.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks on the House floor on Nov. 13, 2023. (House of Representatives/Screenshot via NTD)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks on the House floor on Nov. 13, 2023. (House of Representatives/Screenshot via NTD)
Ms. Willis’ office did not respond to a request for comment from The Epoch Times, though a spokesperson for her office told media outlets that she would “respond through appropriate court filings.”

‘Totally Compromised’

After the court filing suggested a romantic relationship between Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis, President Trump called the case “totally compromised” and insisted it should be dropped.

“You had a very big event yesterday as you saw in Georgia where the district attorney is totally compromised. The case has to be dropped,” President Trump said on Tuesday after a hearing in Washington over presidential immunity arguments in a separate case against him.

“They went after 18 or 20 people. … She was out of her mind. Now it turns out that case is totally compromised,” the former president continued.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at a Washington hotel on Jan. 9, 2024. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media at a Washington hotel on Jan. 9, 2024. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

“It’s illegal. What she did is illegal. So we’ll let the state handle that, but what a sad situation it is,” President Trump added.

The former president has previously called the case a “witch hunt” and accused Ms. Willis of corruption.

Mr. Roman, who faces seven charges in the Georgia election interference case, served on President Trump’s 2020 campaign as director of Election Day operations.