Nathan Wade: Judiciary Committee wants Wade to testify about Trump investigation

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. - The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary has sent a second request to former special prosecutor Nathan Wade to turn over material connected to his investigation into former President Donald Trump and his supporters for interfering in the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) initially sent a letter to Wade on Jan. 12, expressing its belief that he may "possess documents and information about the coordination of the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office with other politically motivated investigations and prosecutions, as well as the potential misuse of federal funds."

According to the new letter sent to Wade, the committee received an "unsolicited letter" from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis responding on his behalf instead. However, Willis reportedly refused to provide the committee with any responsive information.

Serious concerns about prosecution

Jordan says there are some "serious concerns" about Wade's role in the "politically motivated prosecution" initiated by Willis, and Wade reportedly "profited significantly" from Willis' prosecution.

The committee believes Willis may have improperly used part of a $14.6 million federal grant that her office received from the Department of Justice between 2020 and 2023.

Additionally, the committee believes Wade met with staff from the January 6 Committee and President Biden's White House Counsel.

New deadline given

The new letter requests Wade to produce the material outlined in the original letter no later than May 16.

Additionally, the committee says it requires Wade's testimony to discuss the requested information.

Why the committee wants the information

The Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over Justice Department programs and criminal justice matters in the United States. The committee says it wants the documents and Wade's testimony to help inform legislative reforms it's considering, including an effort to establish guidelines for the use of federal grant funds and another that would help move certain criminal cases from state to federal court to protect against politicized prosecutions. 

A legal expert who spoke with FOX 5 in January said that Wade was not legally required to respond to the committee. It is not known at this time if the committee will subpoena Wade if he does not comply with their new request.

Trump co-defendant Michael Roman filed the initial motion in January, accusing Willis and Wade of having an improper relationship and questioning whether the couple benefited from the investigation.

Timeline: Fulton County DA Fani Willis, Nathan Wade controversy

After months of drama and hearings, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee ruled in March that the relationship between Willis and Wade gave the "appearance of impropriety," and that either Willis or Wade would need to step aside if the case were to continue to be prosecuted in Fulton County. A few hours later, Wade submitted his resignation.

Trump and his co-defendants filed an appeal with the Georgia appeals court, asking it to review McAfee's decision.

The appeals court agreed on Wednesday to review the lower court's ruling. Once it rules, the losing side could ask the Georgia Supreme Court to consider an appeal.

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At this point, some legal experts say there is little to no chance that the Georgia election interference case will go to trial before the November election, as Willis had hoped.