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(NEW YORK) — The judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case will hear arguments Monday on whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and prosecutor Nathan Wade will have to testify during a hearing Thursday scheduled to examine allegations of misconduct against the two of them.
Wills and Wade, along with a number of employees in the DA’s office, have been subpoenaed to testify Thursday by Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, who last month filed a motion seeking to dismiss the election charges against him and disqualify Willis on the grounds that she allegedly engaged in a “personal, romantic relationship” with Wade, one of her top prosecutors in the election case, which allegedly resulted in financial gain for both of them.
A subsequent court filing from Willis admitted to the relationship but denied that there was any financial conflict of interest that would disqualify her from the case.
Roman then accused the DA of misrepresenting in that filing aspects of the relationship, including when it began.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee set a Feb. 15 hearing to hear evidence regarding the allegations of misconduct.
Willis’ office has asked the judge to quash the subpoenas to her, Wade, the DA’s office employees, and Wade’s business associate, calling the effort “harassment and disruption.” She has also asked the judge to cancel the upcoming evidentiary hearing altogether.
Willis argued there is “no factual basis” that “could reasonably justify requiring” her and a number of her employees to become witnesses in the case, and accused Roman of “an attempt to conduct discovery in a (rather belated) effort to support reckless accusations.”
“Harassment and disruption of this type should not be entertained,” the filing says.
Roman, however, says a business associate of Wade’s will “refute” claims made in Willis’s filing, and is ready to testify on Thursday. That individual, Terrance Bradley, has been subpoenaed by Roman. The DA’s office has asked the judge to quash that subpoena as well.
Wade also filed a motion seeking to quash a subpoena for his bank records, and a former DA’s office employee is also seeking to quash a subpoena issued to her.
Trump has joined in on the effort to disqualify Willis and dismiss his charges, accusing the DA of violating her office’s ethics obligations with statements she made at a church in the wake of the allegations.
Trump, Roman, and 17 others pleaded not guilty in August to all charges in a sweeping racketeering indictment for alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in the state of Georgia.
Four defendants in the case subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants.
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