WASHINGTON – A Georgia district attorney accused of having an affair with a lawyer he hired to prosecute former President Donald Trump answered Congress on behalf of his alleged lover on Friday – saying “confidentiality interests” meant he could not hand over any documents.
Fulton County DA Fani Willis, who is facing calls even from her allies to step down from the Trump case because of allegations of improper personal dealings, rejected a defiant response after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) contacted her alleged lover, Nathan Wade.
“Dear Mr. Jordan: I am writing to you regarding your letter of January 12, 2024 to Attorney Nathan Wade, who is retained by this office as a Special Assistant District Attorney,” Willis wrote to Jordan, who had requested records from Wade of payments to him from the office Willis, in addition to any records related to ties to the Biden administration.
“Your letter requested Fulton County District Attorney’s office records, so Mr. Wade forwarded your letter to me as District Attorney for a response,” Willis wrote.
“Your letter is merely a restatement of the demands you have made in past correspondence for access to evidence in pending Georgia criminal prosecutions.
Fulton County, Ga., District Attorney Fani Willis (left) hired her alleged lover, Nathan Wade (right), to prosecute former President Donald Trump. Reuters
“As I have said before, your request involves important and well-recognized confidentiality interests in relation to ongoing criminal matters. Your request violates the principles of separation of powers and federalism, as well as respecting the legal protections afforded to attorneys’ work products in ongoing litigation. I refer you to my previous answer to your query for a more detailed analysis.”
Jordan wrote to Wade just days after Trump co-defendant Michael Roman alleged in court papers filed Jan. 8 that Willis had a significant conflict of interest in the case, in which the 77-year-old former president and 14 of his associates face charges of illegally trying to change the outcome of the election. raya 2020 in the Peach State.
Willis, an elected Democrat, has paid Wade, an attorney in private practice, $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Wade allegedly spent some of the funds on vacations for himself and Willis.
The said lovers do not deny having a romantic relationship.
A court hearing is expected next month to determine whether Wade and Willis should be removed from the case.
Wade and Willis have not denied having an affair. Ben Hendren for the NY Post
Jordan’s request for documents sent to Wade seeks various other materials that Republicans believe could affect the case — such as any correspondence with the White House or the Justice Department.
Jordan also asked Wade to “[a]All invoices, including credit card statements and individual reimbursement requests, submitted by you or your law partner to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office in connection with its investigation of President Trump” and “[a]ll contracts and financial arrangements between you and the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office related to its investigation of President Trump.”
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, faces criminal charges in three other cases, including for allegedly falsifying business records to hide 2016 hush money payments in a case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, also an elected Democrat.
Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith is pursuing criminal charges against Trump in South Florida for allegedly hiding national security documents after leaving office in January 2021 and in Washington for trying to stay in power following his defeat by Joe Biden.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
