Former Fulton County Prosecutor Nathan Wade Speaks Out: ‘Workplace Romances Are As American As Apple Pie…It Happened To Both Of Us’
Nathan Wade, the former Fulton County special prosecutor involved in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump, spoke out for the first time Sunday since resigning from the case after a public disqualification battle over his relationship with District Attorney Fani Willis.
Wade, who resigned from the case last month following a judge’s ruling, admitted he had some regrets about the relationship but defended the integrity of the case against Trump and others in the future.
“Workplace romances are as American as apple pie,” Wade told ABC News’ Linsey Davis in an exclusive interview. “It happens to everyone. But it happened to both of us.”
“Do you regret it?” » asked Davis.
“I regret that this private matter has become the focal point of these very important prosecutions,” Wade responded. “This is a very important matter.”
Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis speaks during a news conference next to Prosecutor Nathan Wade after a grand jury returned indictments against former President Donald Trump and his allies in their attempt to overturn the state’s 2020 election results, in Atlanta, August 14, 2023.
Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters, FILE
“I hate that my personal life is starting to overshadow the real issues of this case,” he continued.
More of the interview is scheduled to air Monday morning on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Wade’s resignation from the case came hours after Judge Scott McAfee declined to disqualify Willis outright, but ruled that she or Wade must withdraw from the case due to a “significant appearance of impropriety” arising from their romantic relationship that arose while they were suing. the case.
McAfee determined that there was “insufficient evidence” that a true conflict of interest existed.
Trump and other defendants appealed the judge’s ruling, also calling for Willis’ removal. The Georgia Court of Appeals has not yet determined whether it will appeal.
Willis and Wade testified that their relationship began in early 2022 and ended in the summer of 2023, after he was hired for the case in November 2021.
When Davis asked him if he thought about putting the relationship “on pause” until the affair was over given that “democracy is at stake”, Wade admitted that he had, but that “the feelings are so strong”.
“At some point, once that connection is there, and if democracy is at stake, as has been described, would you say maybe we could put that on hold until the matter is over? ” » asked Davis.
“Absolutely, absolutely. I admit that could have been an approach,” said Wade, who has since returned to private practice. “But then again, when you’re in the middle of it all, those feelings develop and you get to a point where the feelings are so strong that, you know, you start wanting to do things that really don’t concern the audience. »
Four defendants in the case have since reached deals and pleaded guilty. Trump and the 14 other defendants have pleaded not guilty. No trial date has been set.
ABC News