Trump co-defendant in Georgia case asks for removal of Fani Willis after court documents reveal DA's affair with special prosecutor

On Monday, a defendant in 2024 GOP frontrunner Donald Trump's Georgia election fraud case filed a motion calling for the disqualification of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, alleging that she had been in a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, one of the prosecutors she hired. 

Michael Roman argued that Willis' conduct warranted the disqualification of the entire DA's office from future prosecution of the case, and a dismissal of the charges against him. His lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, cited documents from Wade's divorce case as evidence.

As the Wall Street Journal reports, Willis was served a subpoena on Monday ordering her to testify in Wade's divorce proceedings, adding further credence to Roman's claims.

Merchant claimed in the filing that Willis and Wade "are operating under a conflict of interest and should be disqualified under federal and state constitutional due process grounds because both of them have acquired a personal interest and stake in Mr. Roman's conviction."

In 2005, a Georgia court ruled that conflict of interest was a ground for disqualification of a district attorney.

She argued that Willis and Wade "have been engaged in an improper, clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case, which has resulted in the special prosecutor, and, in turn, the district attorney, profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of the taxpayers." 

Wade has been paid close to $654,000 for his services since January 2022, compensation that as DA, Willis authorized.

Wade then allegedly purchased trips for him and Willis to California's Napa Valley, Florida, and the Caribbean via the account into which the cheques from Willis' office were being deposited, the filing claimed. 

A spokesperson for Willis said her office will respond to the allegations "through appropriate court filings."

Roman, one of the 19 people indicted by Willis in connection with alleged attempts to interfere with the results of the 2020 election, was the director of Election Day operations for the former president's campaign. He was charged with seven felony counts, including violation of the RICO act, two counts of conspiracy to commit forgery in the first degree, and conspiracy to impersonate a public officer.