Trump Prosecutor Hits Out at Colleague's Wife

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is asking a judge to block a subpoena seeking her testimony in the ongoing divorce of a colleague she's accused of having an affair with, while accusing his wife of obstructing the Georgia election interference case against former President Trump, per the Wall Street Journal. Michael Roman, a Trump co-defendant, alleges Willis improperly hired lawyer Nathan Wade, whom he says she was dating, as a special prosecutor and financially benefited as Wade collected more than $650,000 for his work on the case. He claims details of Willis and Wade's relationship are locked up in court documents related to Wade's divorce, which Roman is pushing to have unsealed. Wade filed for divorce from his wife of 26 years one day after starting his role as special prosecutor in 2021.

Wade's wife, Joycelyn Wade, filed the subpoena demanding Willis be deposed this coming Tuesday, reports Bloomberg. In an emergency motion Thursday, Willis asked a judge to block the subpoena. As "the parties agree that the marriage is irretrievably broken and the concept of fault is not at issue, there is no information that District Attorney Willis could provide that might prove relevant to granting or denying the divorce," wrote Willis' personal lawyer, Cinque Axam, per the Journal. He also accused Joycelyn Wade of "obstructing and interfering" with the Trump case. She "has conspired with interested parties in the criminal Election Interference Case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass, and oppress" Willis and "damage her professional reputation," Axam wrote, per Bloomberg.

The filing further claims the marriage was broken as early as 2017 and that Joycelyn Wade "confessed to an adulterous relationship" with her husband's "longtime friend," per Bloomberg. Roman's attorney responded Thursday, saying Willis "appears to be doing everything she can to avoid having to account for inconvenient and difficult facts." Roman and Trump have argued the case against them should be dismissed in light of the alleged conflict of interest. There have also been claims Wade is unqualified for the special prosecutor job, though Willis puts this down to racial bias. A judge ordered Willis to respond to the allegations in writing by Feb. 2. A court hearing is set for Feb. 15. A hearing that could see the divorce records unsealed will take place Jan. 31. (More Fani Willis stories.)