Georgia DA Fani Willis accused of paying expert prosecutor less than Nathan Wade: reports
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was recently criticized for allegedly having an "improper" romantic relationship with a prosecutor, is now being accused of paying one of her attorneys $100 less per hour than her alleged lover, Nathan Wade, according to reports.
The New York Post reported that Wade was billing the DA’s office $250 per hour in November and December 2021, as he worked on the prosecution against former President Donald Trump, who is accused of election interference in 2020. Court records alleged Wade had no experience in state racketeering law.
But another prosecutor on the team, John Floyd, reportedly has considerable knowledge when it comes to Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) cases.
Floyd billed $150 per hour during the same months Wade billed $250 per hour, according to a contract obtained by The Daily Caller News Foundation.
Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade, representing the District Attorney's office, looks on at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 6, 2023. (Photo by JASON GETZ/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
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Court documents filed earlier this month say Willis hired special prosecutor Nathan Wade, her alleged partner, to prosecute Trump and benefited financially from the relationship in the form of lavish vacations the two went on using funds his firm received for working the case.
The accusation about the difference in pay comes nearly a week after Trump’s co-defendant, Michael Roman, accused Willis and Wade of having an "improper" and "clandestine" affair at the same time appointments were being made for the 2020 election interference case.
Roman was a former official on Trump’s 2020 campaign and argued about the integrity of the case being compromised because of the affair, last week in court, asking for the charges against Roman to be dropped.
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On Sunday, Willis spoke on the matter at the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, claiming she was called out because she is Black.
"They only attacked one," she said. "First thing they say, ‘oh, she’s gonna play the race card now.’
"But no God, isn’t it them that’s playing the race card when they only question one," Willis asked.
While speaking at the church, Willis claimed she treated all three special prosecutors equally, adding she "paid them all the same hourly rate."
District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, Fani Willis poses for photos in the Fulton County Court House in Atlanta. (Photo by Megan Varner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
According to the Daily Caller, Anna Cross, the third special prosecutor, was paid $250 per hour in 2022.
Fulton County records show Wade has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, an amount authorized by the district attorney, or Willis in this case.
The filing also calls for the entire district attorney's office, including Willis and Wade, to be disqualified from prosecuting the case.
Trump was indicted by Willis in August and pleaded not guilty to charges related to allegedly attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, including violation of Georgia's anti-racketeering law.
Roman, alongside Trump, was hit with a racketeering charge as part of Willis’ case and was charged with seven felony counts last August.
The Georgia case is one of four pending against Trump; he also faces charges in New York City, Florida and Washington, D.C.
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