New developments could possibly help and hurt District Attorney Fani Willis in the controversial misconduct hearing. Days after testimony ended, more evidence has emerged.
Stan Brody of Acumen Wines revealed that he witnessed Willis and Nathan Wade at the winery in 2023. Brody shared with CNN that Willis paid in cash for two bottles of wine for $150 and $50 for the tasting. He also shared that she gave a tip in cash. Brody’s claim would back-up testimony where Willis shared that she paid Wade back in cash whenever he provided initial funds for trips. It also removes the notion that she benefited from a relationship with special prosecutor Wade.
However, Willis could have issues after attorneys for Donald Trump have collected cell phone data from Wade’s cellphone and tower transmissions. According to AJC, the cell phone records reportedly state that Wade and Willis exchanged a multitude of text messages before 2021. Records also allegedly state that Wade visited Willis at a Hapeville condo at night multiple times before he was hired as a special prosecutor.
If proven correct, it could contradict the claims made by Wade and Willis that their relationship began after he was hired as a special prosecutor.
Willis and Wade’s relationship came to light after Wade’s divorce proceedings caught the attention of the attorney for Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official. Roman asked that his charges be dismissed because Willis’ alleged personal relationship with Wade should disqualify her from continuing to prosecute the case. There was also claims that Willis signed off to pay Wade $654,000 since 2022 to serve as a special prosecutor.
Filings from the divorce has also been used by Republican lawmakers in Georgia to develop an oversight committee that will investigate Willis. The committee could choose that have Willis removed as District Attorney.
But while an alleged affair between Willis and Wade could create poor optics, there’s no basis under Georgia Law to disqualify Willis or Wade from continuing to prosecuting the Trump RICO case.
Under Georgia Law, a prosecutor is disqualified from a case due to a “conflict of interest” when the prosecutor’s conflicting loyalties could prejudice the defendant leading to an improper conviction. Georgia law states, “[t]here are two generally recognized grounds for disqualification of a prosecuting attorney. The first such ground is based on a conflict of interest, and the second ground has been described as ‘forensic misconduct.’”