A congressional committee has asked former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade to testify behind closed doors about his relationship with DA Fani Willis.
In a letter dated Thursday, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, the Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asked Wade to appear for an interview and to produce numerous documents related to his work on the Georgia election interference case.
Jordan cited allegations that Wade and Willis profited from what he called the “politically motivated prosecution” against former President Donald Trump and 14 other defendants.
“The committee understands that Ms. Willis reportedly compensated you and financed her politically motivated prosecution using a mixture of taxpayer funds, possibly including part of the $14.6 million in federal grant funds that her office received from the Department of Justice between 2020 and 2023,” Jordan wrote.
Wade’s attorney could not immediately be reached for comment but he and Wills have testified previously that they did nothing wrong.
Willis has said the DA’s office complies with all federal grant requirements.
“Any examination of the records of our grant programs will find that they are highly effective and conducted in cooperation with the Department of Justice and in compliance with all Department of Justice requirements,” the office said in February.
The request for an interview is the latest escalation of the House committee’s investigation of Willis, which began shortly after Willis indicted Trump last summer. Jordan has repeatedly accused Willis of conducting a politically motivated prosecution, while the DA has accused the House committee of interfering in a criminal investigation.
In January House investigators began focusing on Wade after defendants in the election case revealed Willis and Wade had been romantically involved. They said Willis paid Wade’s law firm more than $728,000 for his work and benefited financially when Wade used the money to pay for trips they took together. They sought to disqualify Willis from the case.
Willis and Wade said their romance began after she hired him and ended last summer. They say testified they split the cost of their travel roughly equally and their relationship did not pose a conflict.
Earlier this week, Wade told ABC News that while the timing of his relationship with Willis “could have been better,” it had nothing to do with the merits of the election case.
In March Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled Willis could continue to prosecute the case if Wade resigned, which he did that same day. The defendants have appealed McAfee’s decision, and this week the Georgia Court of Appeals accepted the appeal – a decision that likely puts the case on hold until next year.
Jordan isn’t the only Republican scrutinizing Willis’ actions. A Georgia Senate committee is conducting its own investigation of Willis’ handling of the election case.
About the Author
