Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis recently made a last-minute attempt to prevent her former lover from testifying in a U.S. House committee hearing. Willis released a letter earlier this week ordering former state prosecutor Nathan Wade not to answer questions during the committee meeting. However, it appears that Willis’ attempt to prevent the testimony was unsuccessful.
Wade’s attorney claims that he gave an “effective” testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, where he was interrogated by members of the lower chamber on the dynamics of the Willis’ office, which has prosecuted former President Donald Trump in the Georgia election interference case. The committee has been investigating whether the Fulton County District Attorney’s office had misallocated funding for the Trump case that was originally intended to go toward anti-gang initiatives.
Reportedly, Willis stated in a letter to Rep. Jim Jordan that Wade giving his testimony reveal “confidential information” and the State Bar of Georgia’s rules surrounding appropriate conduct of attorneys. Willis said, “Mr. Wade has been instructed not to answer any questions that seek to solicit information about his role or underlying evidence in the Office’s investigation of unlawful efforts to interfere with the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.”
She continued, “As the former Special Counsel in the FCDA’s election interference investigation, Mr. Wade has knowledge of highly sensitive and confidential information regarding this ongoing criminal matter. This information, which Mr. Wade obtained as part of his service to the FCDA, still belongs to the Office.”
Further elaborating on why she believes Wade shouldn’t testify, Willis added, “This includes knowledge of key evidence, confidential attorney communications, legal theories and analyses, prosecutorial recommendations, and deliberations as well as knowledge of the sources, procedures, and techniques employed in this investigation. The disclosure of such evidence may also interfere with ongoing proceedings, this is considered legally privileged and not subject to disclosure.”
The Fulton County DA concluded her letter suggesting that Wade could be disbarred if he participated int he committee hearing, in what she described as a “politically motivated” investigation into her office, ironically what many Republicans have charged her with in her prosecution of former President Trump.
“Mr. Wade has been instructed to not to answer any questions about his role in the election interference case or about any evidence in that case. Mr. Wade has been informed of his obligation to assert FCDA’s privileges and to safeguard the integrity of ongoing criminal prosecutions. As long as I am District Attorney, I will continue to do everything in my power to protect the integrity of this criminal investigation and all others in which my office leads. My legal duty to protect the secrecy and integrity of all criminal investigations has been bestowed upon me by Federal, State and Local law – and, I have no interest in waiving this responsibility for your politically motivated tactics,” Willis stated.
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Earlier this year, Wade resigned from Willis’ office after it was discovered by a co-defendant in the Trump case that Willis and Wade had been engaged in a relationship that aroused suspicions of ethics violations. Former Georgia Governor Roy Barnes, Wade’s legal representation, indicated, “We gave our testimony, cooperated, and were thorough,” expressing that the hearing was an “effective meeting.”
Watch footage of Wade and Willis appearing together on the scene of the Fulton County DA’s daughter. being arrested:
Featured image credit: Fani for DA Campaign site