A Georgia special prosecutor in Donald Trump’s election interference case is seeking a protective order of his ongoing divorce case filings amid allegations that he had a personal relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson last week ordered filings in the matrimonial battle between Nathan Wade and his estranged wife, Joycelyn, to be unsealed. In a motion last week first reported by Lawfare, Wade’s lawyers asked the court to enter a protective order on certain filings because of the “sensitive nature of the parties’ financial information and documents.”
A hearing is set for Wednesday, where Wade could be forced to take the stand and answer questions about his alleged relationship with Willis, who hired him to investigate whether Trump and his allies interfered with the 2020 election. After hearing from Wade, Thompson will rule on a motion for Willis to testify in the divorce case.
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The allegations against Willis and Wade went public earlier this month after a lawyer for Trump aide Mike Roman accused the pair of having a romantic relationship. At the same time, Joycelyn Wade’s attorneys attempted to subpoena Willis, arguing that she had personal knowledge about the estranged couple’s finances.
Willis responded with a blistering motion to block the subpoena, accusing Joycelyn of trying to damage her reputation and obstruct the Trump case. Joycelyn Wade’s legal team responded by highlighting Nathan Wade’s credit card statements, which showed he bought flight tickets for himself and Willis to several places between 2022 and 2023.
“[Willis] is trying to hide under the shield of her position,” Joycelyn Wade’s attorney, Andrea Hastings, argued last week. “Whatever her job is has nothing to do with whether or not she should have to sit for this deposition.”
The judge handling the Georgia racketeering case has set a Feb. 15 hearing date to review the misconduct claims. Last week, Georgia Senate Republicans also passed legislation to establish a panel to investigate allegations that Willis had any conflict of interest in hiring Wade or misused public funds.
Willis and Wade have until Friday to formally respond to the allegations that many believe should be grounds for their removal.
