Nathan Wade remains tangled up in Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' prosecution of the former president.
A letter published Thursday by Representative Jim Jordan, the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, requests Fulton County Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade provide previously requested documentation and testify about his relationship with Willis. The Committee requests the information by May 16. The first letter seeking documentation was sent on January 12.
In the letter to Wade, Jordan dives into the possible origin of Wade's financial compensation. He states that the committee "understands that Ms. Willis reportedly compensated you and financed her politically motivated prosecution using a mixture of taxpayer funds, possibly including part of the $14.6 million federal grant funds that her office received from the Department of Justice between 2020 and 2023."
The House Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over Justice Department programs and criminal justice matters. In the letter, Jordan writes that the "Committee is considering potential legislative reforms establishing clear guidelines outlining the permissible uses of federal grant funds."
Newsweek reached out to Representative Jim Jordan's press team via email and left a message for Nathan Wade.
Wade, who resigned in March, was the lead prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against former president Donald Trump, probing into both a call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to "find" enough votes to tip the election in his favor and an alleged plot to submit a false slate of electors to the electoral college. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all accounts.
Wade and Willis admitted to having a romantic relationship while investigating Trump's actions related to the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia. Since then, the couple and the case have received scrutiny, with several House members seeking to disqualify Willis from the case following misconduct allegations.
In March, presiding Judge Scott McAfee concluded that Willis had a "tremendous lapse of judgment" concerning her relationship with prosecutor Wade but said she could remain on the case provided Wade stepped down. On Wednesday, the Georgia Court of Appeals granted an appeal by Trump's legal team of the court's decision, allowing McAfee's decision to be reviewed. This will likely delay the case.
The former president and current Republican presidential candidate is embroiled in four lawsuits, all of which he pleads not guilty to and denies wrongdoing. He faces 88 criminal charges across the cases. He is currently sitting trial in a hush-money case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Correction: 5/11/24, 5:43 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to correct the spelling of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
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Mandy Taheri is a Newsweek reporter based in Connecticut and Brooklyn. She joined Newsweek as a reporter in 2024. She ... Read more
