The Georgia senator leading an investigation into the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office said some of District Attorney Fani Willis’ claims about her relationship with the office are “questionable” following a whistleblower’s testimony.
On Thursday, the Georgia Senate Select Committee on Investigative Affairs, chaired by Republican Sen. Bill Cowsert, held its fourth hearing as part of its investigation into Willis’ alleged misconduct and misuse of funds.
Amanda Timpson, the former head of Willis’ juvenile corrections program, testified that she was demoted and eventually fired after blowing the whistle on the department’s misuse of federal grant funds.
Timpson also testified that Nathan Wade, who allegedly had an “inappropriate” relationship with Willis in 2020, shortly after Willis was elected, was always on interview committees for new staff members for Willis.
Former Fani Willis staffer says she was fired after blowing the whistle on DA spending
Amanda Timpson, a former juvenile corrections chief and member of Fani Willis’ leadership team, testified that she was demoted and eventually fired after blowing the whistle on the department’s misuse of federal grant funds. (Georgia State Senate)
But Wade was not hired as special counsel until about a year later, when Willis hired him in November 2021 to help prosecute a major organized crime case against former President Trump related to alleged election interference.
It’s unclear whether he was on the payroll at the time he was helping Willis build the new team.
Willis and Wade were accused of having an “inappropriate” affair before Wade was hired, but both denied this and maintained their romantic relationship began after Wade was hired.
But Cowsert said he considered the claims “doubtful.”
“[Wade]”He was her confidant and office manager for a year prior to being hired,” Cowsert said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“And she’s acting as if that happened in the summer of 2022, that they started dating a few months after she was hired. That’s a questionable claim, you know?” Cowzart said.
Nathan Wade’s cell phone data shows he made late-night trips to Fani Willis’ apartment before he was hired: Attorney
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis arrives to speak after winning the Democratic primary, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Buckhead, Georgia. (AP Photo/Bryn Anderson)
At a committee hearing in March, Ashley Merchant, an attorney for co-defendants in the lawsuit against former President Trump, testified that information from Wade’s cellphone data showed he had made multiple visits to the apartment Willis rented before he was hired.
“It’s ringing at 1 a.m. all the way from his house to his apartment, and then he calls her when he gets there, and then he doesn’t hear anything for four or five hours, and then, you know, it rings again in the early hours, and he drives back, and then he gets home and he texts her,” Merchant said, describing the location data from Wade’s phone.
In a lawsuit filed in Fulton County Superior Court in February, attorneys for the state testified that geolocation data is not reliable as evidence.
But Merchant noted that the state is “now prosecuting someone in another court using that same data, but their defense in our court is that the data is not reliable.”
Merchant, along with lawyers for Trump and other co-defendants, has petitioned the Georgia Court of Appeals to disqualify Willis from the lawsuit.
A state court judge ruled in March that Willis could remain on the case only if Wade was removed from the case. Wade resigned from the case later the same day.
“The smell of falsehood lingers,” the judge said, “that the district attorney and her handpicked leaders of SADA [special assistant district attorney] The misrepresentation made about the timing of the relationship further supports the finding of alleged misconduct and the need for reasonable efforts to remedy it.”
Meanwhile, state lawmakers have created a special committee with subpoena power to investigate the Fulton County district attorney.
Cowsert called Timpson a “very impressive and credible” witness.
“I find it interesting that none of the committee members doubted the accuracy of her complaint,” Cowsert said.
Embattled Da Fani Willis wins Georgia primary
Former special prosecutor Nathan Wade arrives before Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks after winning the Democratic primary election, Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Buckhead, Georgia. (Associated Press)
Timpson testified that she faced “overwhelming retaliation” and “backlash” after she reported to her direct superiors that Willis’ office was knowingly misusing federal grant funds, which was illegal.
Timpson said she wanted Willis to be made aware of the misuse of funds to “protect” herself and protect the “integrity” of the grant. After Willis learned of Timpson’s warnings, she said, she was demoted to a file clerk.
“I had planned to eventually retire from the District Attorney’s Office and, essentially, what was once a place I was proud to work at had become a hellish place for me,” Timpson said.
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Cowsert said working for the district attorney’s office was a “dream job” for Timpson, who grew up in Compton, California, and alluded to being personally affected by the rampant gang activity there.
“I think she’s trying to make the world a better place, and her specialty is preventing young people from joining gangs, and she did that in the school system and then in the district attorney’s office. It was really a dream job for her … and it’s been taken away from her,” Cowsert said.
The committee plans to hold additional hearings in the coming months.
Willis said he will not testify despite the committee having subpoena power and called the committee “illegal.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Willis and Wade for comment.
