Prosecutor Nathan Wade revealed to Congress that his lover, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, planned to prosecute former President Donald Trump before she even took office in 2021.
Wade told the House Judiciary Committee during a closed-door deposition last week that Willis put him on a “search committee” to find a prosecutor to charge Trump with allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election, according to transcripts released Monday compelled by subpoena.
Notably, challenges to the 2020 election were still playing out at the time.
Today we released the transcript of Nathan Wade’s deposition before the House Judiciary Committee.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 21, 2024
Read it here: https://t.co/z19ZoOdMHO
Wade explained that Willis ultimately chose him to be the prosecutor for the 2020 “election interference” case.
“So January 1st I was a part of the search committee for that newly elected district attorney, and we were tasked with trying to identify someone who would serve as lead counsel on the election interference investigation,” Wade said, according to the transcript. “Eventually, I guess the committee turned their guns on me and started trying to convince me to accept the role.”
Wade also revealed he had extensive communications with the Biden-Harris White House, the congressional January 6 committee, and other D.C. officials, but claimed under oath that he could not remember who from the White House was involved, the substance of the meetings, or where they even took place.
For example, Wade had billed a “Conf with White House Counsel” in May 23, 2022 and an “Interview with DC/White House” in November 18, 2022, respectively, but claimed he couldn’t remember who was at the first meeting and didn’t even recall the second meeting.
In fact, Wade said he couldn’t remember details 58 times, demonstrating the same memory lapses he apparently had during his Georgia testimony earlier this year where he had to explain the timeline of events leading to Willis hiring him amid revelations they shared an undisclosed romantic relationship which began in early 2022.
During that testimony, Wade said in written testimony under oath that he did not have a relationship with Willis during his marriage to another woman, before admitting on the witness stand that he and Willis were lovers.
Trump and co-defendants alleged their secret relationship presented a conflict of interest, and Wade resigned from the Trump case this year after the judge ultimately ruled that either Willis or Wade must be removed from the Trump prosecution to avoid misconduct.
Wade’s 2022 correspondence with the federal government raised concerns that Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were politically motivated to assist Wade with bringing charges against Trump a year later.
And now Wade’s new testimony suggests Willis’s prosecution of Trump was indeed politically motivated.
Prior to his deposition with Congress, Willis told the House Judiciary Committee she instructed Wade not to answer questions about the 2020 “election interference” case, claiming his “testimony would force him to improperly divulge confidential information that is protected by privileges.”
Willis asserted Wade’s knowledge of “key evidence, confidential attorney communications, legal theories and analyses, prosecutorial recommendations, and deliberations as well as knowledge of the sources, procedures and techniques employed in this investigation” are “legally privileged and not subject to disclosure.”
On August 14, 2023, Trump and 18 of his allies were indicted on charges of election fraud, racketeering and other counts related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Read the Wade transcript: