by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
May 6, 2024
Wade left the case in March after a court ruling that both he and DA Fani Willis could not stay on.
Ex-Fulton County prosecutor Nathan Wade speaks to his own defense after resigning from the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump. Wade removed himself from the trial due to his controversial relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Despite a lengthy battle and testimony from Willis denying any misconduct, a Georgia judge ruled that both attorneys could not stay on the historic trial. Wade stepped down as a top special prosecutor hours after the decision.
Now, Wade is publicly commenting on the additional hearing that threatened to derail the entire trial. According to the attorney, workplace romances are ingrained in American culture.
“Workplace romances are as American as apple pie. It happens to everyone. But it happened to the two of us,” shared Wade during his interview with ABC News on May 5.
When asked if he regretted his relationship with Willis, Wade responded that his only remorse lied in the media attention it received.
“I regret that that private matter became the focal point of this very important prosecution,” he explained. “This is a very important case.”
He added, “I hate that my personal life has begun to overshadow the true issues in the case.”
Wade left the prosecution team in March following a evidentiary hearing into his past with Willis. Trump’s defense team accused Willis of misconduct after discovering their personal relationship, prompting a investigation into allegations that Willis took advantage of the compensation Wade received from his role while on vacation with him.
Judge Scott McAfee determined no sufficient evidence proved a conflict of interest. However, the removal of either Wade or Willis was deemed necessary due to a “significant appearance of impropriety” given their relationship occurred while both worked in the trial.
Following his resignation, Wade has returned to the private sector of law. However, he did acknowledge that the two could have navigated their relationship timeline better to avoid jeopardizing the case.
“Absolutely, absolutely. I’ll concede that that could have been, an approach,” Wade said when asked if they should have considered pausing their relationship. “But there again, when you are in the middle of it, these feelings are developing and you get to a point where the feelings are, are so strong that, you know, you start to want to do things that really are none of the public’s concern.”
Trump’s defense filed an appeal in March to overturn the judge’s ruling to not disqualify Willis. However, the Georgia Court of Appeals has yet to make a decision on that motion. In the meantime, Willis will continue leading the trial against Trump and his affiliates, albeit with no date set.
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