As Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) celebrated her primary election victory on Tuesday night, her former colleague and boyfriend, special prosecutor Nathan Wade, watched from the audience.

In March, Wade abruptly resigned from his role as the special prosecutor in the high-profile Georgia election interference case and admitted to a romantic affair with Willis while he was working there. The presiding judge, Scott McAfee, stated that due to the affair, either Willis or Wade would need to recuse themselves from the case.

Lawyers who represented Donald Trump and the 14 others accused in the alleged scheme to illegally overturn Trump’s loss in the 2020 Georgia presidential election quickly seized upon the revelation. They requested McAfee dismiss the case and argued that Willis and Wade had benefited financially from their relationship through lavish vacations and that Wade had been paid more than other prosecutors who worked on the same case.

Wade was hired in 2021 to assist Willis in obtaining an indictment against Trump and 18 others in August, accusing them of participation in the illegal scheme. Four people have since pleaded guilty after they reached deals with prosecutors, while Trump and the other 14 defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Last week, Wade’s estranged wife filed court documents claiming that he had failed to pay spousal support since resigning from his position. Earlier this month, Wade attempted to defend his workplace romance with Willis and called it “as American as apple pie.”

Despite the scandal, Willis emerged victorious in her primary election, with just under 90% of the vote.

“I am just so humbled and so grateful to the citizens of Fulton County who made this possible,” Willis told supporters at an election party on Tuesday night. “Tonight, they delivered a strong and powerful message. They want a district attorney who believes everyone deserves to be safe and everyone is entitled to some dignity. And it’s a message that’s pissing folks off, but there is no one above the law in this country.”

Read more about:
avatar

Article by Baila Eve Zisman

Leave a comment

Subscribe to the uInterview newsletter