WASHINGTON — The Georgia district attorney accused of having an affair with an attorney she hired to prosecute former President Donald Trump responded to Congress on behalf of her alleged lover Friday — saying “confidentiality interests” mean she can’t hand over any documents related to the case.
Fulton County DA Fani Willis, who is facing calls even from allies to step off the Trump case due to the allegations of improper self-dealing, fired off the defiant response after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) reached out to her alleged paramour, Nathan Wade.
“Dear Mr. Jordan: I am writing to you regarding your January 12, 2024, letter to Attorney Nathan Wade, who is retained by this office as a Special Assistant District Attorney,” Willis wrote to Jordan, who had demanded records from Wade of payments to him from Willis’ office, in addition to any records concerning contacts with the Biden administration.
“Your letter requested records of the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, so Mr. Wade forwarded your letter to me as District Attorney for response,” Willis wrote.
“Your letter is simply a restatement of demands that you have made in past correspondence for access to evidence in a pending Georgia criminal prosecution.
Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (left) hired her alleged lover, Nathan Wade (right), to prosecute former President Donald Trump. REUTERS
“As I said previously, your requests implicate significant, well-recognized confidentiality interests related to an ongoing criminal matter. Your requests violate principles of separation of powers and federalism, as well as respect for the legal protections provided to attorney work product in ongoing litigation. I refer you to my previous responses to your inquiry for more detailed analysis.”
Jordan wrote to Wade just days after Trump co-defendant Michael Roman alleged in court papers filed Jan. 8 that Willis had a glaring conflict of interest in the case, in which the 77-year-old ex-president and 14 allies face charges of unlawfully attempting to change the 2020 election results in the Peach State.
Willis, an elected Democrat, has paid Wade, a private-practice attorney, $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Wade allegedly spent some of the funds on vacations for himself and Willis.
The purported lovebirds have not denied having a romantic relationship.
A court hearing is expected next month to determine whether Wade and Willis need to be removed from the case.
Wade and Willis have not denied having an affair. Ben Hendren for NY Post
Jordan’s request for documents sent to Wade sought an array of other material that Republicans believe could undermine the case — such as any correspondence with the White House or Justice Department.
Jordan also asked Wade for “[a]ll invoices, including credit card statements and individualized reimbursement requests, submitted by you or your law partners to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office relating to its investigation of President Trump” and “[a]ll contracts and financial arrangements between you and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office relating to its investigation of President Trump.”
Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee, faces criminal charges in three other cases, including for allegedly falsifying business records to conceal 2016 hush money payments in a case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who also is an elected Democrat.
Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is pursuing criminal charges against Trump in South Florida for allegedly stashing national security documents after leaving office in January 2021 and in Washington for attempting to remain in power following his defeat by Joe Biden.
Source link: https://nypost.com/2024/01/26/news/fani-willis-cites-confidentiality-wont-give-house-records-on-trump-case/