Fired former Trump prosecutor Nathan Wade on Wednesday defended his workplace romance with Fani Willis, but acknowledged that he had discussed with the Fulton County district attorney in question how their relationship might affect the “sanctity” of the case against the former president.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “The Reed Out,” hosted by Joy Reid, Wade asserted that he had no personal or intimate relationship with Willis prior to his indictment in the Trump case.
“Our relationship was professional. Our relationship grew organically over time,” Wade said of the romance that blossomed between him and his boss-turned-lover as the administration prepared for the historic prosecution of the 77-year-old former president and 18 co-defendants in a massive organized crime case.
The former special prosecutor asserted that “it was not deliberate or intentional.”
“We felt we handled it in a professional manner. We kept our personal lives personal and private, and we still believe, then, that that has no place in a courtroom,” Wade argued.
But the lawyer said he and Willis, 52, considered and discussed the risks their fledgling relationship posed to the Trump case.
“She and I discussed it,” Wade said, “and when we felt like our relationship was getting to a point where it could become a professional problem, we sat down and had a conversation and did what was necessary to protect the sanctity of the incident.”
Wade and Willis both claim to have ended their relationship in 2023.
The pair appeared to end on good terms, with the former special prosecutor spotted at Willis’ victory party in Atlanta after he defeated Christian Wise Smith in the Fulton County Democratic primary on Tuesday.
Wade was forced to recuse himself from the Trump lawsuit in February by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, citing a “smell of deception” that arose from his relationship with Willis.
Wade argued Wednesday that the language McAfee used in his order was unfair.
“I don’t think there was a need for it,” he said, arguing the judge forced him to leave the case “just to prove a point.”
“To be fair, the whiff of lies may come from a lack of understanding,” Wade argued. “There may also be cultural differences.”
“It might be questionable to me because I might not understand why certain cultures do certain things.”
