This is a momentous week in Donald Trump's Georgia indictment – Atlanta News First
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A stunning Friday court filing related to Donald Trump’s historic Georgia racketeering and organized crime indictment has only heightened the importance of a Thursday court hearing that could determine the future of the case.
On Friday, Michael Roman – one of the 14 remaining Trump co-defendants charged by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis with attempting to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results – made the filing in Fulton County Superior Court. It said Terrence Bradley, a former law partner of Nathan Wade, will testify Willis and Wade had a personal relationship before Willis hired Wade to serve as a special prosecutor in her investigation of Trump and his subsequent indictment.
“Willis and Wade claim they did not have a personal, romantic relationship before Willis appointed Wade as a special prosecutor, but Terrence Bradley (“Bradley”) will refute that claim,” Roman’s court filing said. “Bradley is an attorney and a member of the Georgia Bar. Bradley and Wade were friends and business associates. Bradley has non-privileged, personal knowledge that the romantic relationship between Wade and Willis began prior to Willis being sworn as the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia in January 2021.
Roman (Reply Brief.disqualification Motion) by Lindsey Basye on Scribd
Willis is the locally elected district attorney who issued dozens of indictments in August 2023 accusing Trump and his allies of trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
Her indictments say Trump and his allies suggested Georgia’s Republican secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, could find enough votes for him to win the battleground state; harassed an election worker who faced false claims of fraud; and attempted to persuade Georgia lawmakers to ignore the will of voters and appoint a new slate of electors favorable to Trump.
But in early January, an explosive court filing by Roman and his attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, accused Willis and Wade of having a romantic relationship.
Roman is a former White House aide who served as the director of Trump’s election day operations. Prosecutors allege Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election, a charge to which Roman has pleaded not guilty.
Roman’s court filing claims Willis and Wade took lavish vacations together and that Wade used part of his salary from the district attorney’s office to travel with Willis. Merchant also claims to have discovered “outside of court filings” that Willis and Wade went on trips together.
The court document claims the relationship began before Wade was appointed to the case. Roman and his attorney claim Willis also failed to get county approval to appoint Wade as special prosecutor.
Roman’s attorney is asking the court to disqualify both Willis and Wade from prosecuting the organized crime case and drop all the charges against Roman. The filing also charges Wade has personally and financially benefited from the relationship, and demands the charges against Roman be dismissed.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee has set a Feb. 15 hearing on allegations Willis and Wade have engaged in an improper, romantic relationship.
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