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Special prosecutor in Trump election interference case dodges testimony about improper relationship

Nathan Wade settled a divorce dispute one day before he was expected to respond to allegations of an affair with the district attorney spearheading Trump's case.

MARIETTA, Ga. (CN) — Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor handling the election interference case against former President Trump, settled a divorce dispute with his estranged wife on Tuesday, canceling a hearing scheduled for Wednesday where he was expected to testify about allegations of a romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Cobb County Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson issued a temporary consent order stating that both parties had agreed "to all issues presently before the court," and that the hearing was removed from the court calendar. He also said their agreement will not be filed in court, meaning it may not ever become public.

Wade was expected to testify under oath about claims from Jocelyn Wade that he had an extramarital affair with Willis, who has spearheaded the criminal investigation against Trump and several of his allies. He was also supposed to answer questions about his income as a special prosecutor in the Trump case, as well as receipts for airline tickets purchased for himself and Willis to Miami, Aruba and San Francisco between October 2022 and April 2023.

Earlier this month, Willis was subpoenaed to testify in the divorce case by Jocelyn's attorneys, who argued she has “unique knowledge” about Wade’s finances and his marriage. But during a hearing last week, Thompson declined to do so, saying he wanted to hear testimony from Wade first.

Willis fought against the subpoena, contending that Jocelyn Wade, “conspired with interested parties in the criminal election interference case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass and oppress" her and her investigation.

Willis has until Friday to respond to similar allegations from one of Trump's co-defendants, Michael Roman, who faces seven charges the the case for purportedly helping organize an alternate slate of Trump electors in Georgia and other battleground states while working for the Trump campaign as director of election day operations.

Roman's motion, filed by attorney Ashleigh Merchant earlier this month, cast a spotlight on Wade's pending divorce which had been kept under seal until last week. Thompson unsealed the records after Merchant and a coalition of 15 media outlets sought access to the divorce proceedings, arguing they are of important public interest.

The filing pointed to Wade's divorce as the basis for allegations of a potential romantic relationship between him and Willis and asks the judge to dismiss the entire racketeering indictment due to the "improper relationship."

It also says that Willis benefited financially from vacations paid for by Wade and that she misused county funds in hiring him as a special prosecutor for the case, noting Wade has been paid more than $654,000 in legal fees. Wade filed for divorce just a day after he entered his contract with Willis.

Trump's attorneys joined in on the motion last week, inflating the misconduct accusations by arguing that Willis' recent remarks at a historic Black church in Atlanta had injected “racial animus” into the election interference case.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the election interference case, scheduled a hearing Thursday for Feb. 15 to hear evidence on Roman's motion.

Follow @Megwiththenews
Categories / Politics, Trials

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