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Fani Willis appeared to refer to allegations that she had an affair for the first time, as she gave a speech in church.
A lawsuit brought against Willis by one of the co-defendants in the Donald Trump case, which the Fulton County district attorney is in charge of, alleges she "engaged in a personal, romantic relationship" with prosecutor Nathan Wade. Brought by Michael Roman, it claims Willis "personally benefited from" from the alleged affair, meaning she acted "to defraud the public of honest services."
"I hope for y'all this week I don't look like what I've been through," Willis said, as she addressed the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, Georgia, ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She didn't explicitly talk about the allegations, or deny them.
While Roman's case hasn't yet presented evidence to support the allegations, Willis called herself "flawed and imperfect" during an emotional speech, adding that she had faced death threats and experienced "loneliness."
Roman, seeking to have the seven charges against him dismissed, accused Willis and Wade of having a "clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case."
The three prosecutors hired were all paid the "same hourly rate," according to Willis in her church speech, but Wade is accused of benefiting financially and "being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to prosecute this case on her behalf." Roman said Wade is also inexperienced.
County records seen by The Hill show Wade was paid legal fees of $654,000 from 2022 to 2023 in relation to the Trump case.
The filed motion continued: "[Wade] will continue to be incentivized to prosecute this case based on his personal and financial motives, so he has acquired a unique and personal interest or stake in Mr. Roman's continued prosecution. That is, he is motivated to prosecute Mr. Roman for as long as possible because he will continue to make exorbitant sums of money."
In her speech, Willis suggested there was racial motivation behind the attacks against her.
"They only attack one. I hired one white woman: a good personal friend and great lawyer, a superstar, I tell you. I hired one white man: brilliant, my friend, and a great lawyer. And I hired one Black man, another superstar, a great friend, and a great lawyer."
Newsweek has approached Wade via an email to his law firm and Willis through LinkedIn for comment. Roman's lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, was approached by email to The Merchant Law Firm.
Merchant told ABC News the suit has "nothing to do with the color of his skin." She added: "If anybody doubts our claim that [Nathan] Wade is inexperienced, ask him how many RICO cases he has handled. Ask him how many felonies he has tried."
Merchant also said she and Roman were happy to prove the allegations in court.
Willis is in charge of the case against Trump in Georgia, where the former president is charged under the state's anti-racketeering (RICO) laws in relation to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He denies the 13 charges against him and says they are politically motivated.
Roman has pleaded not guilty in the case. He was charged under the sprawling indictment involving Trump and 17 other co-defendants. Roman was a member of Trump's campaign staff.
After Roman's filing, Willis was subpoenaed for a deposition due on January 23 in Wade's divorce case.
Further comment has been sought from Willis through the district attorney's office and the former's estranged wife, Joycelyn Mayfield Wade, via an email to the firm of her lawyer, Andrea Dyer Hastings.
The divorce was filed in Cobb County.
About the writer
Benjamin Lynch is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is U.S. politics and national affairs and he ... Read more