An evidentiary hearing is set to be held this week in Fulton County Superior County Judge Scott McAfee’s courtroom to determine whether District Attorney Fani Willis committed prosecutorial misconduct serious enough to disqualify her from the historic 2020 election interference case.
McAfee argued at a court hearing Monday that remaining on course to start a hearing on Thursday is needed to obtain more facts and hear arguments regarding whether a romantic relationship between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade was a conflict of interest that constitutes misappropriated taxpayer funds. Wade was hired by Willis in November 2021 to help lead a team of prosecutors in the investigation that resulted in a grand jury in August indicting former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants on sweeping felony charges that they illegally conspired to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election,
McAfee said Monday that he will wait until the evidentiary hearing is underway before making a final ruling on whether Willis or Wade must comply with defense subpoenas ordering them to testify.
McAfee said that there are legal grounds to warrant holding a hearing about actions that could be considered valid reasons to disqualify Willis, a Democrat who was elected to office in 2020.
Ashleigh Merchant, attorney for Trump co-defendant Michal Roman, argued Monday that subpoenas issued for Willis’ staff, a former partner at Wade’s law firm and Wade’s father could provide insight into when the pair of prosecutors first became more than friendly coworkers and lend more credence into why the district attorney should be removed from the case. McAfee confirmed Monday that Wade’s former colleague and divorce attorney Terrence Bradley will take the stand Thursday.
Merchant says Wade has non-privileged information he can share about his former business partner’s relationship with the DA.
Willis and Wade did not attend Monday’s…
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