Nathan Wade, the Georgia attorney chosen to prosecute former President Donald Trump by Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis, who is also his former partner, had significant interactions with the Biden-Harris White House, according to newly released documents.
Wade charged the Fulton County office for various hours spent in meetings with officials from the White House, the congressional January 6 committee, and other Washington D.C. representatives, as detailed in records obtained by the House Judiciary Committee and made public on Monday.
The committee shared a transcript from an interview with Wade, which he was required to attend due to a subpoena. In it, he disclosed that Willis was strategizing to prosecute Trump even before officially taking her position, and that she had assigned Wade to a “search committee” that led to his selection for the role.
On May 23, 2022, Wade billed the office for eight hours related to travel and “Conf with White House Counsel.” However, he admitted he could not recall the identity of the White House officials involved or even the location of the meeting.
On November 18, 2022, he charged eight hours for an “Interview with DC/White House,” yet under oath, he stated he couldn’t remember anything about the meeting, including whether it occurred virtually or in person.
Between September 7 and September 9, 2022, Wade billed taxpayers $6,000 for “Witness Interviews; conf call DC; team meeting,” but was unable to clarify what the D.C. meeting entailed.
On April 25, 2023, he logged eight hours for a “Zoom conf with investigators in other jurisdictions,” yet again could not recall any details about it.
Overall, Wade reported that he couldn’t remember specifics 58 times. His memory issues have been widely noted in Georgia courts as witnesses attempted to articulate the timeline surrounding Willis hiring her secret partner without conflicting statements.
During the congressional interview, Wade’s avoidance and strange responses persisted. He admitted to meetings with “individuals associated with the January 6th Committee,” a Democrat-led House committee investigating Trump, multiple times, but claimed he never spoke to members or staff of the committee. Instead, he communicated with lawyers whose names he did not recall, nor did he know who their client was.
Wade billed 24 hours in April 2022 for “Team meeting; conf with Jan 6th; research legal issues to prep [interview]” and charged eight hours on November 16, 2022, for a “Jan 6 meeting and Atty conf.”
In Georgia, during proceedings where a Trump co-defendant claimed the prosecution was biased, Wade provided written testimony under oath denying he had a relationship with Willis while still married to another woman. He later admitted on the witness stand that this was not true. The judge ultimately determined that to prevent misconduct, either Willis or Wade must step aside from the Trump prosecution, resulting in Wade’s exit.
Wade’s testimony in Congress raises concerns about whether Willis appointed him as a special prosecutor, knowing he lacked relevant experience, possibly to support him as a romantic partner. He conceded to Congress that he had no applicable experience for the special prosecutor role and that he took courses to prepare after being appointed.
U.S. Marshals attempting to serve Wade with a subpoena were unable to find him for several days. Wade explained that he had turned off his phone while preparing for a trial, and was also on pain medication after injuring his ankle while playing basketball.
