Key Ally Says Fani Willis’ Special Prosecutor Should Step Down Amid Relationship Allegations
He said Willis’ case against Trump was strong, but that the D.A.’s misconduct allegations threatened to delay it.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
An influential ally of Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis called on the lead prosecutor of her election interference case against Donald Trump to step down amid ongoing misconduct allegations against the D.A.
Willis was accused of having a relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she hired to lead the Trump case, to both their financial and professional benefit.
Norm Eisen, who was special counsel to the House during its first impeachment of Trump, expressed faith in Willis’ case but was firm in his recommendation that Wade step down when he spoke about it on Saturday, the Washington Post reported.
“The evidence is strong. The case is powerful. It’s very likely to lead to conviction,” Eisen said. “We mustn’t lose time on the calendar given the paramount public interest in bringing that strong case to a speedy conclusion.”
The case is on a tight timeline in relation to Trump’s other legal proceedings and his candidacy in the 2024 presidential election. The presiding judge has yet to set a trial date, although the prosecution sought one for August, ahead of the November election.
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Eisen did not think that Willis should step down given her role as an elected official and the significance of the case. His remarks come on the heels of new evidence that Wade purchased plane tickets for himself and Willis on at least two separate occasions, and after Willis publicly accused Wade’s estranged wife, Joycelyn, of “obstructing and interfering” with her case against Trump.
Willis was served with a subpoena to compel her to testify in the Wades’ divorce proceedings last week.
Willis publicly defended her hiring of Wade from the pulpit of one of Georgia’s historic Black churches on Sunday, but has not yet addressed the allegations of a relationship with Wade.
Eisen seemed convinced that the relationship had taken place, a decision he called “unwise”; but he said that alone would not be a reason for disqualification under Georgia law.
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