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Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis has defended the hiring of special prosecutor Nathan Wade in the case against former President Trump.
Speaking at the Big Bethel AME Church, Willis addressed the allegations surrounding her decision without directly mentioning the claims of an inappropriate relationship between her and Wade. These allegations arose from Mike Roman, a co-defendant and Trump’s former political operative, who accused Willis and Wade of an “improper” romantic relationship, alleging it started before the election interference investigation began. Following the allegations, it was also revealed that Wade had been paid $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, which Willis authorizes.
In her speech, Willis said she had a right to appoint special counselors, questioning why only one, a “Black man,” was under attack. “I’m a little confused. I appointed three special counselors. It’s my right to do, paid them all the same hourly rate. They only attack one. The Black man I chose has been a judge for more than 10 years, run[s] a private practice more than 20 [years].”
Willis added, “How come, God, the same Black man I hired was acceptable when a Republican in another country hired him and paid him twice the rate?” She also criticized Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, saying, “Dear God, I do not want to be like those that attacked me. I never want to be a Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has never met me but has allowed her spirit to be filled with hate. How does this woman, who has the honor of being a leader in my state, how is it that she has not reached out to me? She can tell me, ‘I don’t agree with anything you’re doing, but I do not agree with people threatening your life or the life of your family. How did such a woman come to think that it was normal and normalized that another woman was worthy of such cruelty? I would never wish for her to have the experiences or the threats that I receive, the derogatory name calling, the being doxed multiple times.”
The district attorney’s comments come amidst ongoing controversy, with Roman’s lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, arguing that the alleged relationship renders the indictment against Trump “fatally defective.” Trump has seized on these allegations, using them to challenge the legitimacy of the Georgia indictment. The Fulton County Superior Court is expected to hold a hearing on this matter in February.
