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Fulton County Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade has asked for a temporary restraining order in his divorce proceedings over an alleged “inappropriate” relationship with his boss, District Attorney Fani Willis.
Wade, who is leading the election interference case against former President Trump and 18 others, is embroiled in a contentious separation from his estranged wife of 26 years, Joycelyn Wade. A Cobb County Superior Court judge unsealed documents in Wade's divorce proceedings last week, revealing that Joycelyn Wade's lawyers have sought to cross-examine Willis to answer questions about their alleged affair.
In a brief filed last Wednesday, Wade's lawyers argued that a preliminary injunction was necessary “due to the sensitive nature of the parties' financial information and documents.”
Among the unsealed documents were bank statements showing Wade had purchased airline tickets for himself and Willis. He also made payments for a Royal Caribbean cruise and stays at luxury hotels, although the documents did not provide direct evidence of an affair. Other documents show Wade was questioned about his drug and alcohol use, although he is not accused of substance abuse.
TRUMP ATTORNEY FANI WILLIS' WHITE HOUSE MEETINGS JUSTIFIED 'VERY THOROUGH INVESTIGATIONS,' SAYS FORMER ATTORNEY
Fulton County Assistant District Attorney Adam Ney, left, and Fulton County Prosecutor Nathan Wade at the Fulton County Courthouse in Atlanta on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023. (Getty)
Joycelyn Wade's lawyers claimed that bank statements showed that “Ms. Willis was the intended travel companion on at least some of these trips, as evidenced by the flights he booked for her as his companion.”
They claimed that “there appears to be no reasonable explanation for her travels other than a romantic relationship.”
Willis has neither confirmed nor denied the alleged love affair.
The affair allegations came to light earlier this month when the attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman accused Willis and Nathan Wade of having an inappropriate relationship and embezzling public funds in a separate court filing. Roman's attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, did not provide evidence of the alleged relationship between Willis and Wade, but pointed to evidence in Wade's divorce proceedings.
Trump's top prosecutor and Georgia district attorney allegedly engaged in 'inappropriate' romantic relationship: court documents
Fani Willis, District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia, and Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. (Getty Images)
Merchant claims that Willis' alleged relationship with Wade created a conflict of interest and that she benefited financially from the relationship in the form of luxurious vacations the two took with funds his law firm received for work on the case.
County records show that Wade has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, an amount approved by the district attorney, or in this case, Willis.
Joycelyn Wade's lawyers argued that Willis' testimony was necessary to determine whether Nathan Wade spent their client's money on another woman – Willis.
Willis fought the subpoena, claiming she had nothing to do with the divorce and that an alleged affair was irrelevant to the case. Her attorney, Cinque Axam, argued in court papers that Joycelyn Wade “conspired with interested parties in the criminal election interference case to use the civil discovery process to annoy, embarrass and oppress District Attorney Willis.”
Fulton County prosecutor and partner of Fani Willis met with Biden twice at the White House before filing charges against Trump
Axam accused Joycelyn Wade of “obstructing and disrupting” the district attorney’s ongoing proceedings against Trump.
Joycelyn Wade's lawyers denied that she was trying to “harass” Willis and said the subpoena was intended to “obtain from her husband's mistress pertinent information about her relationship with the plaintiff and the expansion of her financial involvement therein.”
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A judge put testimony on hold last week at least until he can hear from Nathan Wade, who has not yet testified.
A hearing in the divorce proceedings is scheduled for Wednesday, where Wade could be questioned about the alleged affair.
Fox News' Samantha Daigle, Fox News Digital's Landon Mion, Anders Hagstrom, Brian Flood, Brandon Gillespie and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
