Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Tuesday said the case Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis brought against former President Donald Trump and 18 others over their efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state is “even more political now” following the attention Willis’ relationship with a top prosecutor has garnered.
Willis recently admitted to having a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, whom she hired as a prosecutor in the case, after one of the defendants, Michael Roman, a lawyer who previously worked for Trump’s campaign, raised allegations about the two of them being together.
Willis has fiercely pushed back against accusations that her romance with Wade presented a conflict of interest in the case and claimed the two started dating after she hired him and that their relationship ended last summer.
In an interview with NewsNation, Kemp said while he can’t say much on the subject, given Willis subpoenaed him for testimony, the latest allegations have further politicized the case.
“It’s hard to believe that a process that I think many people, including myself, believe is very political, regardless of the merits behind the case, has gotten even more political now because of her actions and those of Mr. Wade and others,” Kemp said, according to The Hill.
Kemp added he is “confident” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee “will make a good decision, and then we can go from there.”
Terrence Bradley, Wade’s former law partner and a one-time divorce attorney for the prosecutor, on Tuesday, took the stand to answer questions, including about the timeline of the relationship between Wade and Willis, after McAfee ruled that his communications with Wade were not subject to attorney-client privilege.
“I have no direct knowledge of when the relationship started,” Bradley testified as defense attorneys pushed him over a text in which he suggested Willis and Wade started dating while she was still a municipal court judge.
The defense has claimed Willis and Wade have been together since before November 2021, when Wade was brought onto the case, adding that Willis directly benefitted from his hiring, claiming that Wade paid for vacations for both of them with the money he got from his work on the case.
Willis has claimed the two shared expenses, and she reimbursed Wade in cash.
Closing arguments are set to be heard Friday, but a decision on Willis’ potential disqualification is not expected until next week at the earliest.
If Willis were removed from the case, a new district attorney would have to be appointed to take over, which could push the trial beyond the 2024 presidential election.
Trump is currently the front-runner in the Republican Party’s primary race and is widely expected to get the nomination.
Four defendants in the case have reached plea deals with the prosecution.