Fulton County Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade has dropped the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants.
Mr. Wade appeared after Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ordered him to either leave the court or District Attorney Fannie Willis be disqualified from prosecuting Mr. Trump. are doing. Four co-defendants accused Willis of having an “improper” relationship with Wade, whom they hired to prosecute.
Mr. Wade announced his resignation in a letter to Mr. Willis, saying it was “in the interest of democracy.”
In his resignation letter to Willis, Mr. Wade said, “I am offering my resignation in the interests of democracy, my dedication to the American people, and in the interest of moving this case forward as quickly as possible.”
He added that he was proud of the work prosecutors did on this case.
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Special Counsel Nathan Wade during a hearing in the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump case at the Fulton County Courthouse on March 1, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Alex Slitspool/Getty Images)
In a letter accepting Wade’s resignation, Willis praised his “professionalism and dignity,” saying he had “endured threats against you and your family and unwarranted attacks in the media and in the courts.” praised. lawyer. “
“I will always remember, and I will remind you all, that you have the courage to come forward and that the defendants in this case are conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia,” Willis said. that he challenged the investigation and prosecution of allegations that he was involved in… “You were the one who had the courage to accept the role even though you didn’t ask for it.”
“You are an outstanding advocate,” she added.
President Trump said on his Truth Social platform that Wade resigned in “disgrace.”
“Nathan is ‘special’ in more ways than one, and for the purpose of election interference and his livelihood, to persecute Trump on behalf of crooked Joe Biden and his fraud department, Fani (pronounced Fa-nee!) “Rich and famous people who were ‘implicated’ by Prosecutor Willis,” he wrote. “This is the equivalent of a deranged Jack Smith being ‘canned’ for something big and should happen in the not-too-distant future!!!”
The defendants argued that Willis benefited financially from hiring Wade in 2021 because the two had a pre-existing romantic relationship and had taken several trips together. Michael Roman, a Republican operative who worked on President Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, said Wade’s law firm has billed taxpayers $650,000 at a rate of $250 an hour since Wade was hired. He claimed that he used the proceeds to pay for his vacation with Mr. Willis.
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Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, previously said the accusation that she had an “inappropriate” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade was made because she is black. (Getty Images)
Both Mr. Wade and Mr. Willis denied being romantically involved before their employment. During a two-day evidentiary hearing in February, the two each testified that they split the cost of their joint trip. Mr Willis told the court that he had repaid Mr Wade some of his travel expenses in cash.
Roman’s attorney, Ashley Merchant, tried to uncover a financial trail that would prove Willis had a conflict of interest in Wade’s employment and should be disbarred. She called witnesses who testified that the couple were in a romantic relationship at the time Wade was hired.
Robin Yearty, a former “good friend” of Mr Willis and a former employee of the DA’s office, said there was “no doubt” that Mr Wade and Mr Willis began dating in 2019 after meeting at a conference. he said.
Yearty observed Willis and Wade showing “affection” by “hugging” and “kissing” before November 2021, and that Willis and Wade had been together since 2019 until the end. He testified that there was no question they were in a “romantic” relationship. Said in 2022.
In an unexpected move, Willis took the stand in his own defense and refuted Yearty’s testimony. At least one expert described Willis’ testimony as “belligerent.”
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Ashley Merchant, Michael Roman’s attorney, speaks during the State of Georgia v. Donald John Trump hearing on February 12, 2024 at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, where she also represents her husband. Listen next to John Merchant. Georgia. Former US President Donald Trump and 17 others have been charged with illegal conspiracy to subvert the will of Georgia voters in the 2020 presidential election. (Alyssa Pointerpool/Getty Images)
She argued for hours with her lawyer, and at one point the judge threatened to take away her testimony. She also raised eyebrows that she appeared to be wearing her dress backwards.
The defense’s star witness, Terrence Bradley, was Wade’s former law firm partner and divorce attorney. Bradley was called to the stand after McAfee determined he could not invoke attorney-client privilege to avoid testifying.
When Bradley was asked to take the oath, he said he couldn’t remember. Some details and timeline About a conversation he had with his former client Wade about his romantic relationship with Willis.
Merchant at one point referenced text messages between himself and Bradley in which he asked Bradley if he thought the relationship began before Willis hired Wade in 2021, but that Bradley In response to this exchange, I answered, “Absolutely.”
But after the hearing, McAfee said the defendants had “failed to meet their burden of proving that the district attorney had an actual conflict of interest in this case through his personal relationship with the lead prosecutor and his repeated travels.” ” he said.
“However, the established record highlights significant appearances of misconduct affecting the current structure of the prosecution team. must be removed,” he wrote in an order published March 15.
Judge Scott McAfee at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on February 15th. (Alyssa Pointer, Getty Images)
McAfee is leading the prosecution of Trump and more than a dozen other defendants accused of illegally trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election.
Mr. Willis’ wide-ranging indictment charges Mr. Trump and more than a dozen other defendants with violating Georgia’s Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO. The lawsuit accuses the former president, his lawyers and other aides of engaging in a “criminal enterprise” to maintain power after he narrowly lost the 2020 presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. uses the relevant laws.
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Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential candidate, has denied wrongdoing and maintained his innocence.
On March 13, McAfee issued a ruling dismissing six charges in the case. Georgia election interference case against Trump and his 18 co-defendants. McAfee said the state failed to allege sufficient detail about “inciting violation of oath by a public official.”
In his letter, Wade said he was confident the case against Trump “will continue to proceed properly and justice will be served.”
Fox News Digital’s Brianna Herlihy and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
