Fani Willis paid ‘lover’ Nathan Wade almost double his colleagues’ salaries and met Kamala Harris before suing Trump, lawyer says in stunning testimony about the ‘affair’ and their 12,000 text messages
Embattled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wills paid prosecutor Nathan Wade’s boyfriend nearly double his colleagues’ salaries and met with Kamala Harris before indicting Donald Trump, a lawyer claimed in explosive testimony Wednesday.
Ashley Merchant, who first came forward with stunning allegations about Willis’ affair with special prosecutor Wade, testified at a hearing in the Georgia State Senate as a judge considered whether Willis should be disqualified from the Trump case.
The attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman said Wade received more than $650,000 in invoices from Willis and left little information on his invoices.
She also testified about the 12,000 text messages that Wade and Willis exchanged before claiming they started their relationship.
Willis is in danger of being kicked out of the Trump trial over allegations that she started dating Wade before hiring him to investigate the former president.
The prosecutor has denied that the relationship was inappropriate and is now awaiting Judge Scott McAfee’s decision on whether she will be disqualified.
Attorney John Merchant speaks with his wife and co-counsel Ashleigh Merchant during the hearing on the Georgia election interference case
In her testimony on Wednesday, Merchant said there was “virtually zero” accountability in Wade’s billing, where he was paid $250 an hour.
Willis said in her own astonishing testimony last month that Wade took a pay cut from what he had billed as a private attorney before she brought him on to her team — in a move she said occurred before they began their romantic relationship.
The Republican Party-led panel is investigating Willis’ office as a judge decides whether she should be disqualified and recuse herself from racketeering charges against Donald Trump and 18 of his alleged co-conspirators in connection with his election efforts in the state.
Merchant has filed a lawsuit on behalf of Trump co-defendant Michael Roman calling for Willis to be kicked out of the case due to her “inappropriate” relationship with accuser Wade
She was testifying before a special Senate committee after receiving a subpoena.
Trader said there was “virtually zero” accountability in his bills. Records that Merchant produced previously showed that Wade received more than $650,000 in invoices for Willis’ office.
Wade testified that he sometimes did more work than he could bill for, and Willis testified that she appointed him as lead prosecutor after another preferred candidate declined to take the job.
In even more explosive testimony, Merchant said Willis met with Vice President Kamala Harris on February 28, 2023, during a trip to Washington, DC. Citing White House details, she said Democratic Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens was also in attendance.
The meeting raises questions about whether Trump’s prosecution was discussed, although Merchant did not provide any evidence that it did.
Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged on August 15 in an alleged “criminal enterprise” to overturn the election.
Lawyers for Trump’s co-defendants said bombshell texts showed she lied about when she started dating Wade and was accused of playing the “race card” when she made the politically motivated allegations against her.
Willis (left) and her ex-boyfriend Wade (right) sit at the prosecutor’s table during closing arguments for her March 1 disqualification hearing
Ashleigh Merchant and her husband John represented Trump’s co-defendants at the disqualification hearing as they push for Willis to be kicked out of the case
On Wednesday, Merchant outlined her theory that Willis and Wade deliberately filed a complex case that allowed Wade to bill for more hours and potentially benefit himself and Wade.
She then faced questions about why Willis, who earns a salary of more than $200,000 a year, would participate in the expanded plan in exchange for vacations and trips worth several thousand.
Merchant represents Michael Roman, who was indicted as part of the effort to replace “fake voters” in a state carried by Joe Biden in 2020.
An evidentiary hearing included testimony about how Willis would reimburse Wade in cash for travel expenses to Napa Valley and other places.