by Katelynn Richardson
Trump co-defendant Michael Roman’s attorney poked holes Friday in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ defense to corruption allegations leveled against her.
Willis admitted Friday that she was involved in a relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she appointed to work on the case against former President Donald Trump, though she denied she benefited financially and suggested the judge reject Roman’s motion to disqualify her without a hearing. Co-defendant Michael Roman responded by posing various questions that will be raised during cross examination, suggesting witness’ testimony would contradict Willis’ assertions during a hearing.
“Let us be clear: if Mr. Roman had not uncovered the now-admitted personal relationship between Willis and Wade, no one may have ever known about it,” the filing states. “That raises the obvious and important question: If they had nothing to hide in the first place because they did nothing wrong, then why did they intentionally not tell anyone about it until they got caught with their hand in the cookie jar?”
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis confirmed a personal relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade in a court filing Friday, though denied the relationship provided her with any financial benefit.@DailyCaller https://t.co/7QTbmdbl0l
— Katelynn Richardson (@katesrichardson) February 2, 2024
Roman’s filing calls into dispute statements Wade made in his sworn affidavit.
“In Paragraph 31 of your affidavit, you swore that you have never cohabitated with Ms. Willis but the attached documents show you shared a king size bed with her in Aruba from November 1, 2022 until November 4, 2022,” the filing states.
Travel receipts attached to the filing show Wade and Willis’ names listed on a single hotel room at the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort and Casino.
“Additionally, witnesses will testify that you cohabitated with Ms. Willis at her home in South Fulton until her father moved in with her and you then began to cohabitate at the apartment of a friend of hers in East Point,” the filing states. “Additionally, witnesses will testify that you cohabitated with Ms. Willis at an AirBNB in Hapeville that was paid for by tax payer money to serve as a ‘safe house’ for you and Ms. Willis.”
As to his experience and prior qualifications for the position, Roman’s motion alleges Wade “has given this Court and the public no reason to take his word for it.”
“If his experience is so significant then he should welcome the opportunity to testify as to the specifics of the cases he has tried and enjoy the candid transparency that would bring to the process instead of hiding behind an unsubstantiated claim that he has ‘tried complex’ matters including murder, rape, armed robbery, aggravated assault and drug trafficking,” it states.
Roman’s motion does not address all the claims the district attorney’s office raised in its filing, such as Wade’s claim in his affidavit that personal travel expenses were “roughly divided equally” between himself and Willis. But it notes that Roman intends to later file “a much more comprehensive reply that addresses each of the State’s arguments.”
“This [initial] reply is being filed now because the State seeks to have this Court cancel the evidentiary hearing based solely on assertions in pleadings,” it states.
Trump attorney Steve Sadow said in a statement Friday that the “sole objective” of the district attorney’s filing was to stop the hearing scheduled for Feb. 15 to sort out the allegations.
“While the DA admits to an intimate relationship with her employee Special Asst. DA Wade, she fails to provide full transparency and necessary financial details,” Sadow said. “Indeed, she says absolutely nothing about the so-called ‘coincidence’ of Wade filing for divorce the day after the DA hired him!”
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Katelynn Richardson is a reporter at Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Fani Willis” by Fani Willis.
