Current:Home > InvestJudge orders the unsealing of divorce case of Trump special prosecutor in Georgia accused of affair-DB Wealth Institute B2 Reviews & Ratings
Judge orders the unsealing of divorce case of Trump special prosecutor in Georgia accused of affair
lotradecoin strategy View Date:2024-12-26 03:23:39
MARIETTA, Ga. (AP) — A judge on Monday ordered court records to be made public in the divorce involving a special prosecutor hired in the election case against Donald Trump and others and accused of having an affair with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
The judge ordered the unsealing of the divorce involving special prosecutor Nathan Wade after a request brought by a defense attorney who alleges Wade is in an inappropriate relationship with Willis. The judge also put off a final decision on whether Willis will have to sit for questioning in the divorce case, but delayed her deposition that had been scheduled for Tuesday.
Willis has defended her hiring of Wade, who has little prosecutorial experience, and has not directly denied a romantic relationship. Willis has accused Wade’s estranged wife of trying to obstruct her criminal election interference case against Trump and others by seeking to question her in the couple’s divorce proceedings.
Willis was served with the subpoena to sit for a deposition in the divorce case the day that defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant, who represents former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide Michael Roman, filed a motion alleging the romantic relationship between Willis and Wade.
Joycelyn Wade’s attorney has filed court documents showing Wade bought plane tickets in Willis’ name, arguing there “appears to be no reasonable explanation for their travels apart from a romantic relationship.”
The affair allegations have roiled the case, which charges Trump and 18 allies of working to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state. Trump and others have seized on the allegations to attack the case and Wade’s qualifications as a prosecutor.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing and called the charges politically motivated.
During a brief hearing in the Cobb County Superior Court, Judge Henry Thompson said he can’t rule on whether Willis should have to sit for a deposition in the divorce case until after Wade himself is questioned later this month.
A lawyer for Joycelyn Wade wrote in court papers filed Friday that Nathan Wade has taken trips to San Francisco and Napa Valley, Florida, Belize, Panama and Australia and has taken Caribbean cruises since filing for divorce and that Willis “was an intended travel partner for at least some of these trips as indicated by flights he purchased for her to accompany him.”
The filing includes credit card statements that show Nathan Wade — after he had been hired as special prosecutor — bought plane tickets in October 2022 for him and Willis to travel to Miami and bought tickets in April to San Francisco in their names.
It’s one of four cases Trump is facing as he vies to return to the White House. Prosecutors are using a statute normally associated with mobsters to accuse the former president, lawyers and other aides of a “criminal enterprise” to keep him in power.
Four people have already pleaded guilty in the Georgia election case after reaching deals with prosecutors. The remaining 15, including Trump nd former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have pleaded not guilty.
___
Richer reported from Boston.
veryGood! (4)
Related
- Get 10 free boneless wings with your order at Buffalo Wild Wings: How to get the deal
- Marlie Giles' home run helps Alabama eliminate Duke at Women's College World Series
- US gymnastics championships highlights: Simone Biles cruising toward another national title
- Mike Tyson facing health risks as he trains with an ulcer, doctors say. Should he fight?
- US unemployment claims fall 7,000 to 227,000 in sign of resiliency in job market
- State work-release prisoner killed in blast while welding fuel tank
- Boeing's Starliner ready for Saturday launch to space station, first flight with crew on board
- Summer Nail Trends for 2024: Shop the Best Nail Polish Colors to Pack for Vacation
- Demi Lovato opens up about how 'daddy issues' led her to chase child stardom, success
- 3 new arrests in shootings that injured 11 in downtown Savannah
Ranking
- NASA Shares Update on Astronauts Stuck Indefinitely in Space
- Jersey Shore police say ‘aggressive’ crowds, not lack of police, caused Memorial weekend problems
- Toyota Opens a ‘Megasite’ for EV Batteries in a Struggling N.C. Community, Fueled by Biden’s IRA
- The ANC party that freed South Africa from apartheid loses its 30-year majority in landmark election
- Jackson City Councilwoman Angelique Lee resigns after federal bribery charge
- Jennifer Garner Reacts as Daughter Violet Affleck's College Plans Are Seemingly Revealed
- Black leaders call out Trump’s criminal justice contradictions as he rails against guilty verdict
- Who is Alvin Bragg? District attorney who prosecuted Trump says he was just doing his job
Recommendation
-
Usher concert postponed hours before tour opener in Atlanta
-
Mexico’s drug cartels and gangs appear to be playing a wider role in Sunday’s elections than before
-
Ex-U.S. official says Sen. Bob Menendez pressured him to quit interfering with my constituent
-
Jersey Shore police say ‘aggressive’ crowds, not lack of police, caused Memorial weekend problems
-
Australian Olympic Committee hits out at criticism of controversial breaker Rachael Gunn
-
Google admits its AI Overviews can generate some odd, inaccurate results
-
Mike Tyson's medical scare postpones his boxing match with Jake Paul
-
Florida sheriff’s office fires deputy who fatally shot Black airman at home