Judge Orders Fani Willis to Address Scandal

A judge in Georgia is requiring Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to address an ethics scandal amid her ongoing prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

The Washington Post first reported on Thursday that Georgia Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee filed a document that required Willis to submit a "written response," to allegations that she "engaged in a personal, romantic relationship" with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor in the Fulton County DA's office.

"Fulton Judge Scott McAfee is scheduling an evidentiary hearing on Feb. 15 to examine recent relationship allegations about DA Fani Willis. He's giving her until Feb. 2 to respond," Tamar Hallerman of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution wrote on X, formerly Twitter, sharing a screenshot of the document filed on Thursday.

Earlier this month, one of Trump's co-defendants in his Fulton County case, Michael Roman, alleged in court documents that Willis and Wade had a secret "personal relationship during the pendency," of the former president's election subversion case.

Trump and several other co-defendants were previously accused of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act for alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Trump has maintained his innocence in the case and has continued to criticize Willis.

"The instant Motion is not filed lightly," Roman's attorney, Ashleigh B. Merchant, wrote in the initial filing, raising the accusations against Willis. "Nor is it being filed without considerable forethought, research or investigation...Nonetheless, this Motion must be heard, as the issues raised herein strike at the heart of fairness in our justice system and, if left unaddressed and unchecked, threaten to taint the entire prosecution, invite error, and completely undermine public confidence in the eventual outcome of this proceeding."

Newsweek reached out to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office via email and phone for comment.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a response was filed on Willis's behalf on Thursday which alleged that Wade's wife, Joycelyn, "has conspired with interested parties in the criminal election interference case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass and oppress District Attorney Willis."

"If, however, media reports are any indication, (Joycelyn Wade) may intend to ask questions regarding the nature of any relationship with (Nathan Wade)...Because 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," the motion said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Update 01/18/24 2:48 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.