Fulton County Georgia's Democrat Prosecutor Fani Willis is feeling the heat after being accused of hiring her alleged lover, Nathan Wade, as special counsel in the state's 2020 election interference case and paying him more than $600,000 of taxpayer funds.
Former New Jersey Superior Court Judge Andrew Napolitano told Newsmax on Monday the controversy should have no effect on the case against former President Donald Trump and 14 remaining co-defendants unless a judge determines Willis made decisions solely because of her relationship with Wade.
"I understand that eyebrows were raised when Nathan Wade was hired not because people thought or suspected he had an intimate relationship with her, but because this is not a field of law that he has known to have an expertise in," Napolitano told "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE." "This is why it's a potential ethical problem for lawyers to have a relationship with each other and an intimate relationship in litigation. The client doesn't know about it. Are you making judgment calls that's best for the client or are you making judgment calls because of the relationship you have with this other lawyer?"
Napolitano said Willis "has created a mess for herself" but it doesn't affect the case like it would if she was, for example, hiding evidence from the defense team or bribing a witness.
The Daily Caller reported Monday that Willis is paying attorney John Floyd, considered Georgia's leading expert on racketeering, a lower hourly rate ($150) than she is paying Wade ($250), who has never prosecuted such a case.
"Maybe she's making decisions on the basis of her relationship with Mr. Wade, not on the basis of what should be the best for the government's case," Napolitano said. "If that is the case, if a judge finds that, it is the judge's duty to remove her from the case. Whoever is next in line, whoever is next in charge in her prosecutorial office will be in charge of the case and that person will decide if Mr. Wade stays or if this other lawyer who has a lot more experience comes in.
"Here's where it could affect the case. If [Willis is] off the case, and Mr. Wade is off the case, and a new lead counsel has to come in, they're not going to try it as quickly as they had hoped. There are thousands and thousands of pages of documents in this case for a new team to get up to speed on."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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