Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Sunday defended her decision to hire a special prosecutor in her case against Donald Trump and others accused of attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.
However, she did not address allegations of an improper romantic relationship with the prosecutor, Nathan Wade.
The defense lawyer for Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign staffer, has accused Willis of professional impropriety, in a court filing that questioned the qualifications of Wade, the outside lawyer Willis hired for the job.
Willis spoke publicly about the accusation for the first time at Big Bethel AME Church, in Atlanta.
Willis hired three special prosecutors for the case, which alleges former President Trump and over. dozen co-defendants tried to interfere with election result in Fulton County in 2020.
The hires include a white man, a white woman, and a Black man, and they are paid the same hourly rate.
Willis cited Wade’s past professional experience, amid Merchant’s claim of finding no evidence of his experience prosecuting felony cases.
She also alleged that Willis did not get necessary approval from county leaders to hire Wade and that no special prosecutor’s oath had been filed for him.
However, according to Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council, district attorneys do not require permission to hire a special prosecutor, and Wade may not be required to file the oath.
