Trump Co-Defendant Lawyer Blamed for Nathan Wade's Big Paycheck

Ashleigh Merchant, the lawyer representing Donald Trump co-defendant Michael Roman in the Georgia election fraud case, was blamed for Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade's big paycheck by Democratic Georgia state Senator Harold V. Jones II during a Senate Special Committee on Investigations hearing on Wednesday.

Trump and 18 co-defendants, including Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer, have been accused of conspiring to overturn President Joe Biden's 2020 election win in Georgia. Trump and Roman have pleaded not guilty to all charges. Trump said the case is politically motivated because he is the front-runner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

In an effort to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Willis and her office and get the case dropped, Merchant accused Willis of having a personal relationship with Wade, her lead prosecutor in the case, that created a conflict of interest. It was also alleged the pair had benefited financially from taxpayer money. Willis and Wade have admitted they had a relationship but denied a conflict of interest.

The timeline of Willis and Wade's relationship was disputed during a two-day hearing before Judge Scott McAfee, who is presiding over the racketeering case. Merchant argued that Willis should be removed from the case.

Meanwhile, a Georgia Senate committee has been conducting its own investigation into Willis. During the Senate hearing, Merchant claimed that Willis had an interest in a conviction in the election fraud case.

"In my case, for example, Mr. Wade offered my client misdemeanor probation," she said. "So, we were the first people to get an offer. And we said no, we wanted a dismissal because he was not guilty. And that did not happen. So, obviously there's an interest in him being convicted of something because the plea offer was for him to pay a $5,000 fine and have a misdemeanor."

Jones then used Merchant's own words against her and claimed that she was the one who has prolonged the case and therefore gave Wade the opportunity to make more money from working on it by not accepting the plea deal the special prosecutor offered.

"So, in reality, 'cause you said that he wanted to extend the case out. He was actually trying to end your client's case. It was gonna end...earlier you said that you believe, which was told was speculation, that they created this case against your client to do more billing," Jones said.

"And what you're just telling me now is that he was willing to stop his billing because he offered your client a misdemeanor and you rejected it....You're the one that's continuing to make him bill."

Newsweek reached out to Willis' office via email and Merchant's office via online form for comment.

During the hearing, Merchant said that Wade was making nearly double the salary of other attorneys in the district attorney's office while showing an "astonishing" lack of detail in his invoicing.

Merchant said Wade's $250-an-hour invoicing to Willis had "pretty much zero" accountability and was filled with phrases like "drafting," "team meetings" and "team brain drain."

Wade wrote "drafting" many times yet there was no evidence that he drafted any of the motions in the racketeering case and that others in Willis' office drafted those motions and submitted them in court, according to Merchant.

McAfee said on Friday that he will have a decision on Willis' possible disqualification case hopefully within the next two weeks.