The divorce lawyer representing Georgia special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s estranged wife denied allegations on Wednesday that she coordinated her request to subpoena Fani Willis with a Donald Trump crony’s efforts to disqualify the Fulton County district attorney from the election interference case.
Andrea Hastings, who is representing Joycelyn Wade in the ongoing matrimonial battle, told Alive11 that she learned of a possible romantic relationship between her client’s husband and Willis “immediately before Christmas” and filed her request to subpoena after the New Year. That same day, Trump aide Mike Roman’s lawyer filed a motion seeking to disqualify the DA and special prosecutor in the racketeering case because they were allegedly having an “improper” relationship and going on lavish trips courtesy of Wade’s paycheck.
“We're not connected with the other case,” Hastings said. “We are seeking similar information about the same people but for different purposes. And it's important to me that people understand that.”
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The dual filings have garnered national attention over the last two weeks, spurring calls for Willis to recuse herself from the case that accuses Trump and his allies of trying to influence the 2020 election in Georgia.
Willis has since hit back on Hasting’s motion to subpoena, accusing her legal team of trying to damage the DA’s reputation and obstruct the Trump investigation. Hastings said Thursday that she took the motion to be a threat that if her team proceeded with the deposition, "we would be prosecuted criminally for it.”
“That’s how I took it,” she added. (Willis’ attorney, Cinque Axam, did not respond to a request for comment.)
In response, Hasting’s team dropped a new filing with Nathan Wade’s credit card statements, which showed that he paid for flights for himself and Willis to multiple places, including Aruba, between 2022 and 2023.
“I have documentary evidence that suggests to me that they absolutely are engaging in a romantic relationship, and I wouldn't be pursuing this line of question, this avenue of investigation, if I wasn't reasonably certain of that fact,” Hastings said.
She added that her team is looking for more information about the possible affair because it could play a role in the two-year divorce case. On Tuesday evening, the Wades reached a temporary agreement on several undisclosed matters just before the special prosecutor was set to testify at a hearing where he would have likely faced questions about the alleged affair. After his testimony, the divorce judge was set to rule on whether Willis would be subpoenaed.
“Adultery is not only a grounds for divorce in Georgia, it's also a factor for the judge to consider or the court to consider in equitably dividing assets,” Hastings said. (Nathan Wade’s attorney did not respond for comment.)
Willis and Wade have not formally commented on the allegations. They are expected to formally respond in writing after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the Trump case, set a Feb. 15 hearing to review the claims. Trump has also joined in on Roman’s motion to dismiss the indictment and remove Willis from the case.
