Fani Willis Needs To Answer These Six Big Questions

Fani Willis Needs To Answer These Six Big Questions

Katelynn Richardson on January 31, 2024

Deadlines for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to respond to allegations about her “improper” relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade and potential misuse of county funds are rapidly approaching.

Michael Roman, a co-defendant of former President Donald Trump, first alleged earlier this month that Willis improperly benefited from a “lucrative” contract she handed to her romantic partner, Wade, to work as special counsel on her racketeering case against Trump. His motion claimed Willis never obtained permission from the county to appoint Wade, who he alleged used money earned from his position to take Willis on vacations.

Judge Scott McAfee set a Friday deadline for Willis to respond to the allegations contained in Roman’s motion ahead of a hearing on the matter scheduled for Feb. 15. She will also have to respond Friday to Fulton County Commissioner Bob Ellis’ request for information relating to the potential “misuse” of county funds.

Here are six questions that remain unanswered ahead of Friday.

What is her relationship with Nathan Wade?

Wade filed for divorce from his wife on Nov. 2, 2021, the day after his contract with the District Attorney’s office started. Willis has not denied allegations that she is involved in an “improper, clandestine personal relationship” with Wade. Instead, she has responded with her own accusations.

During remarks at Big Bethel AME Church, she suggested racism was behind the allegations. She also falsely claimed all three special prosecutors were paid the same hourly rate.

In a court filing to quash a subpoena to testify in Wade’s divorce case, Willis claimed his wife Jocelyn Wade was “using the legal process to harass and embarrass” and was obstructing the ongoing Trump case.

Fulton County Commissioner Bridget Thorn said Willis told her she was “just picking on [Wade] because he’s black” when she raised concerns about his expenditures.

How much did Nathan Wade spend on vacations and trips he took with Willis? 

While bank statements contained in filings for Wade’s divorce case confirmed he spent money on Willis and provide support for claims about vacations they took together, the extent of these alleged gifts is unknown.

Bank statements revealed Wade purchased a $477 ticket to Miami and a $817 ticket to San Francisco in Willis. On the same day he purchased the Miami ticket, Oct. 4, 2022, he also made two $1,387 and $1,284 payments for the Royal Caribbean cruise.

It’s unclear whether Willis accompanied Wade on the cruise. Roman’s motion alleged that “Willis and Wade have traveled personally together to such places as Napa Valley, California, Florida and the Caribbean and Wade has purchased tickets for both of them to travel on both the Norwegian and Royal Caribbean cruise lines.”

Why did Willis leave the Fulton County Board of Commissioners in the dark on how much she was spending on the Trump probe?

Roman’s motion claimed Willis was required to obtain permission from the Fulton County Board of Commissioners before appointing a special prosecutor and that she used money intended to clear a backlog in cases from the COVID-19 pandemic to pay Wade. Two commissioners confirmed she did not go through the board, though whether she needed its permission is in dispute.

Nevertheless, Willis has not provided an explanation, and Commissioner Bob Ellis previously told the DCNF she has been “relatively obstinate” in providing information on how much money has been spent on the Trump proceedings.

Commissioner Bridget Thorn also said during a recent board meeting that Willis has not been transparent.

“I asked her how much this election interference case was costing the county,” she said. “The answer I got was that ‘Lady Justice has no price.’”

Why did she pay Nathan Wade more than the state’s top racketeering expert?

While Willis awarded Wade a contract at $250 an hour, contracts and billing statements obtained by the DCNF revealed she only paid the attorney known as the state’s top racketeering expert between $150 and $200 an hour. Wade reportedly has little to no experience prosecuting RICO cases, while Floyd wrote a book on federal and state RICO statutes and previously worked with Willis on a RICO case involving Atlanta public educators.

The contracts undermine Willis’ claim that she paid all three special prosecutors the same hourly rate.

Ellis’ request also asks Willis to explain the “professional experience” of each special prosecutor utilized by the district attorney’s office.

What were Nathan Wade’s law partners hired to do?

Wade’s law partner Christopher Campbell has earned $126,070 from the district attorney’s office since 2021, per county records. His former law partner, Terrence Bradley, has been paid $74,480 from the district attorney’s office since 2021.

While nothing is known about Bradley’s contract, Campbell was brought on in Jan. 2021 to work for $150 an hour as a “taint attorney,” an individual who reviews materials obtained from search warrants to filter out privileged evidence so it is not passed to prosecutors, per the contract obtained by the DCNF.

It remains unknown what cases Campbell was working on or why he was also given a separate contract to work as a “First Appearance Attorney” from March 1, 2021 to April 30, 2021, which would have him representing the district attorney’s office at defendants’ first hearings within 72 hours of arrest.

Both men also contributed to Willis’ campaign, with Campbell donating $1,000 and Bradley donating $4,050.

Why didn’t she disclose an airline ticket paid for by Wade?

Willis did not disclose on her 2022 financial disclosure form a $477 airline ticket Wade purchased in her name to Miami during that year. The form, which elected officials must fill out under the Fulton County Code of Ethics, requires the disclosure of “each gift or favor from a single prohibited source in the aggregate amount of $100.00 or more.”

Prohibited sources include anyone “doing business with the county.” Legal and ethics experts told the DCNF Willis should have disclosed the payment, and it is unclear why she failed to do so.

She also did not include any other gifts or vacations on her disclosure, though there is not yet concrete evidence demonstrating she took them.

The district attorney’s office did not respond to a request for comment.