Nathan Wade to testify before Georgia Senate panel investigating Fani Willis

Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade is expected to testify before a Georgia Senate subcommittee examining Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office’s now-dismissed election interference case against President Donald Trump.

Wade had been subpoenaed to appear before the Senate Special Committee on Investigations earlier this year, but his testimony was postponed after he told lawmakers he was unavailable on the originally scheduled date.

The committee was formed in January 2024 to review allegations of misconduct tied to Willis’ prosecution of Trump and 18 other defendants accused of attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. Lawmakers have closely scrutinized Willis’ decision to hire Wade and whether their past romantic relationship created a conflict of interest or involved improper use of public funds.

The panel is chaired by state Sen. Greg Dolezal, a Republican who is running for lieutenant governor.

Willis testified before the committee last year after months of legal battles over whether legislators could require her appearance. She denied wrongdoing and defended her hiring decision.

“You all want to intimidate people from doing the right thing, and you think that you’re going to intimidate me,” Willis told lawmakers. “You all have been trying to intimidate me for five years.”

Wade has also testified under oath in other proceedings about the relationship, though lawmakers have said they believe there are discrepancies between his statements and Willis’ account.

The inquiry stems from Willis’ August 2023 indictment accusing Trump and his allies of participating in a racketeering scheme to overturn Trump’s narrow loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.

Both Willis and Wade said their relationship began months after Wade joined the case.

The Georgia Court of Appeals later ruled the situation created an “appearance of impropriety,” removing Willis from the prosecution. The state Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal.

In November, Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia Executive Director Peter J. Skandalakis took over the case and soon moved to abandon the prosecution, saying the allegations did not support a racketeering charge. A Fulton County judge dismissed the indictment on Nov. 26.

Willis and Trump’s attorneys are now disputing whether her office must cover the legal costs tied to the case.