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Records show special prosecutor Nathan Wade paid for flights
with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to Miami in
2022 and San Francisco in 2023, according to court documents
seen by Reuters. The charges brought by Willis against the
Republican former U.S. president are in one of two cases in
which Trump is accused of crimes for trying to overturn his 2020
election loss.
The filing appears to provide some documentation of a claim made
by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman that Wade paid for vacations
with Willis while he was being compensated by the district
attorney's office for his work on the election probe. It was not
clear whether Willis reimbursed Wade for the travel.
The bank records made public on Friday were revealed by lawyers
for Wade's estranged wife Joycelyn Wade as part of divorce
proceedings in Georgia state court.
"We aim to help Ms. Wade resolve her divorce fairly and
privately, but apparently Fulton County D.A. Fani Willis would
prefer to use her public platform," lawyers for Joycelyn Wade
said in a statement.
Roman, who is seeking to dismiss the criminal case and
disqualify Willis, is facing racketeering charges along with
Trump and 14 co-defendants accused of conspiring to overturn the
former president's 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden in Georgia.
Trump is now the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to
challenge Biden in the November U.S. election.
Roman's lawyer alleged in a court filing this month that Willis
benefited financially from an "improper, clandestine personal
relationship" with Wade. Willis has not yet responded to the
allegations.
Willis on Thursday sought to avoid sitting for a deposition in
the divorce case and accused Joycelyn Wade of using court
documents to "annoy, embarrass and oppress" her, the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution reported, citing a court document that the
paper posted online.
A spokesperson for Willis and lawyers for Wade did not
immediately respond to requests for comment.
The judge overseeing the criminal case on Thursday scheduled a
Feb. 15 hearing on the allegations against Willis, who faces a
Feb. 2 deadline to file court papers responding to the claims.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Will Dunham)
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