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Embattled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Wills paid her prosecutor boyfriend Nathan Wade nearly double the salary of her colleagues and met with Kamala Harris before she charged Donald Trump, a defense attorney claimed in a explosive testimony on Wednesday.
Ashley Merchant, who was the first to come forward with surprising allegations about the affair Willis had with Special Prosecutor Wade, testified at a Georgia State Senate hearing as a judge considered whether to disqualify Willis from the Trump case.
Trump’s co-defendant’s attorney, Michael Roman, said Wade received more than $650,000 in invoices from Willis and left little information on his invoices.
He also testified about the 12,000 text messages Wade and Willis exchanged before claiming they began their relationship.
Willis risks being thrown out of Trump’s trial over allegations that she began dating Wade before hiring him to investigate the former president.
The district attorney has denied that the relationship was inappropriate and is now awaiting Judge Scott McAfee’s decision on whether she will be disqualified.
Attorney John Merchant speaks with his wife and co-counsel Ashleigh Merchant during the hearing on the Georgia election interference case.
In his testimony Wednesday, Merchant said there was “virtually zero” liability in Wade’s billing, where he was paid $250 an hour.
Willis, in his stunning testimony last month, said Wade took a pay cut from what he considered a private attorney before adding him to his team, in a move he testified came before they began their romantic relationship.
The GOP-led panel is investigating Willis’ office as a judge decides whether to disqualify her and avoid racketeering conspiracy charges brought against Donald Trump and 18 of his alleged accomplices related to their attempt to overturn the state’s election. .
Merchant filed a lawsuit on behalf of Trump’s co-defendant, Michael Roman, asking that Willis be removed from the case due to her “inappropriate” relationship with prosecutor Wade.
She was testifying before a Senate Special Committee after receiving a subpoena.
Businessman saying there was “virtually zero” liability in their billing. Records produced by Merchant have previously shown that Wade was paid more than $650,000 in billings by Willis’ office.
Wade testified that he sometimes worked beyond what he could bill, and Willis testified that she appointed him as lead prosecutor after another preferred candidate did not accept the position.
In even more explosive testimony, Merchant said Willis met with Vice President Kamala Harris on February 28, 2023 on a trip to Washington, DC. He cited White House records and said Atlanta’s Democratic Mayor Andre Dickens also attended.
The meeting raises questions about whether Trump’s prosecution arose, although Merchant did not provide any evidence that it did.
Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged on August 15 with an alleged extortion “criminal enterprise” to overturn the election.
Lawyers for Trump’s co-defendants said the explosive text messages showed she lied about when she started dating Wade and accused her of playing the ‘race card’ when she said the allegations against her were politically motivated.
Willis (left) and her ex-boyfriend Wade (right) sit at the prosecutor’s table during closing arguments at her disqualification hearing on March 1.
Ashleigh Merchant and her husband John have been representing Trump’s co-defendants at the disqualification hearing as they push for Willis to be removed from the case.
On Wednesday, Merchant outlined his theory that Willis and Wade deliberately presented a complex case that allowed Wade to bill more hours and potentially benefited him and Wade.
He then faced questions about why Willis, who earns a salary of more than $200,000 a year, would engage in the elaborate scheme in exchange for vacations and trips worth several thousand dollars.
Merchant represents Michael Roman, who was charged as part of the effort to replace ‘fake voters’ in a state dominated by Joe Biden in 2020.
An evidentiary hearing included testimony about how Willis would reimburse Wade in cash for travel expenses to Napa Valley and other locations.