Michael Roman and Fani Willis
FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has filed a motion in an attempt to quash subpoenas that would require her and her staff to testify at a hearing on Feb. 15 to determine if her office should be removed from the 2020 Georgia election interference case.
The hearing was scheduled in response to a motion filed by former White House aide Michael Roman. The motion accuses Willis and Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade of having a "romantic relationship" and "profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of taxpayers."
Willis admitted the relationship in a 176-page court-ordered response on Feb. 2. However, she called the attempt to disqualify her and Wade a "salacious" effort that did not prove anything that would lead to their removal from the case. She did not confirm the current status of her relationship with Wade but pointed to a number of cases in which a personal relationship between lawyers was not considered a conflict of interest.
Timeline: Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Nathan Wade controversy
She also called the allegations that Wade was unqualified to act as a prosecutor in the election case "factually inaccurate, unsupported, and malicious."
Willis is claiming that the purpose of Roman's motion is to harass the attorney and parties and to disrupt and delay the case.
According to the motion, subpoenas were issued by Roman's attorney for:
• District Attorney Fani T. Willis
• Executive District Attorney Daysha Young
• Deputy District Attorney Sonya Allen
• Deputy District Attorney Dexter Bond
• Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade
• Assistant Chief Investigator Michael Hill
• Deputy Executive Assistant Tia Green
• Chief of Investigations Capers Green
• Assistant Chief Investigator Thomas Ricks.
Additionally, Roman's attorney also attempted to subpoena the attorney who represented Wade in divorce proceedings, in addition to personal and business bank records belonging to Wade and his law practice.
According to Willis' motion, the attempt to call opposing counsel to the stand has been predictably criticized by appellate courts. The motion claims that courts consistently quash subpoenas served on opposing counsel in all but the rarest of circumstances.
The motion also suggests that Roman has an "eye toward public narrative as opposed to legal remedy." Willis also claims that the investigators and staff members who appear on the list have no knowledge "at all" of the issues raised in Roman's original motion.
Additionally, on Wednesday, former President Donald Trump responded to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' claim that her "racially charged" speech at Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta on Feb. 14 was not aimed at the election interference case against the former president and the other defendants.
The reply filed on Feb. 7 by Trump asserts that Willis' response to Roman's motion is "preposterous and disingenuous at best, and an outright lie at worst. It is an after-the-fact futile attempt to mislead this Court."