There was a notable filing in the ongoing scandal in Georgia over the intimate relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis and her subordinate special prosecutor Nathan J. Wade. Defense lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, claims to have an affidavit that Willis lied about when the relationship began — a critical fact in her defense against ethical allegations.
Willis and Wade insisted that the relationship had not begun until 2022, after she hired him (in November 2021) to serve as special counsel to prosecute former president Donald Trump.
Ms. Merchant identifies the witness as Terrance Bradley, who served previously as Wade’s divorce lawyer and worked in his law firm. That itself is quite irregular given the strong protections for attorney-client privilege. However, Merchant told the court that “Bradley has non-privileged, personal knowledge that the romantic relationship between Wade and Willis began prior to Willis being sworn as the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia in 2021.”
In this sworn affidavit filed with the court, Wade states “[i]n 2022, District Attorney Willis and I developed a personal relationship in addition to our professional association and friendship.”
As a sworn statement filed with the court, a materially false statement would pose a very serious violation for both lawyers. This was the key determinative element cited by both Willis and Wade to show that there was no ethical breach in the hiring of Wade.
We obviously need to hear from Willis and Wade — and learn more of the details. The key date is November 2021 in terms of the hiring of Wade. There is also the question of how his information was “non-privileged, personal knowledge.” If the affiant is suggesting that there were public displays or confirmation of this relationship, there could be other witnesses who could be called to give accounts.
The filing also suggests that there may have been other trips taken by the lawyers.
Merchant states “[s]ince Willis and Wade were not forthright about their relationship in the first instance, there is no reason to believe they are telling the truth now,”
Notably, the defendants in the Georgia case include those charged with making false statements and filing false documents. If Willis or Wade has now done so, the political and legal impact on the case would be devastating. Once again, the only thing more troubling than the relationship itself has been the response of Willis and Wade to the scandal. They have consistently put their own interests before that of the case and the office in my view.
Here is the new filing: final-roman-reply-briefdisqualification-motionw-exs-a-c
Here is the indictment: CRIMINAL-INDICTMENT-Trump-Fulton-County-GA
