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The Georgia special prosecutor seeking to convict former President Donald Trump for election interference met with Biden White House officials on the same day Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Jack Smith as special counsel to probe similar federal charges against Mr. Trump, according to court records.
Special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who allegedly is having an improper personal relationship with Democratic Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, met with White House officials in May and November 2022, submitting invoices to Ms. Willis’ office of $2,000 for each meeting.
His invoice for eight hours of work on Nov. 18, 2022, seeks payment for “Interview with DC/White House.” That was the same date that Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed Mr. Smith as special counsel to investigate Mr. Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including the pro-Trump attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Mr. Wade also submitted an invoice for a “Jan. 6 meeting and Atty conf.” on Nov. 16, 2022, two days before Mr. Smith was appointed.
He billed Ms. Willis for a meeting on May 23, 2022, for work described as “Travel to Athens; Conf with WH Counsel.”
SEE ALSO: Trump says Fani Willis is ‘compromised’ and Georgia election case should be dropped
The meetings are getting the attention of Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, who have long suspected coordination between Biden officials and Ms. Willis’ prosecution of Mr. Trump in Georgia.
“We are aware of these damning allegations and are looking into all avenues as to what comes next,” Russell Dye, spokesman for Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, told The Washington Times.
The invoices are included in a court filing from Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, who alleges that Mr. Wade and Ms. Willis have an improper personal relationship from which Mr. Wade has benefited financially. Mr. Roman, a former Trump campaign official, is asking a judge to disqualify the local prosecutors from pursuing the far-reaching election interference case in Georgia.
Mr. Trump predicted Tuesday that the revelations will stop the criminal prosecution of him and 18 co-defendants in Georgia.
“Totally compromised, the case has to be dropped,” Mr. Trump told reporters in Washington. “They say [Ms. Willis] is in far more criminal liability than any of the other people they’re looking at.”
A spokesman for the White House counsel’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Willis tapped Mr. Wade as a special prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case. As such, he has been paid more than $650,000 in legal fees since January 2022, according to court filings. Critics say Mr. Wade, a private attorney, had never prosecuted a felony case.
Lawyers for Mr. Roman alleged in the court filing on Monday that Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade have been having a personal relationship that includes luxury trips and cruises together.
Mr. Jordan announced a Judiciary Committee inquiry last August into whether Ms. Willis coordinated with federal officials, including Mr. Smith, for her indictment of Mr. Trump.
Mr. Jordan, Ohio Republican, demanded in a letter to Ms. Willis information and communications with the Department of Justice and Executive Branch officials and information on her office’s federal funding.
Republicans on the committee said they are concerned that Ms. Willis’ indictment and prosecution of Mr. Trump, former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, and former Justice Department official John Eastman, among others, may be politically motivated. Both the state and federal prosecutions allege that Mr. Trump and his allies violated election laws in attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Mr. Jordan said Tuesday the allegations about Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade show that she can’t be trusted.
“Fani Willis and her office: Baselessly targets her political rivals, Uses taxpayer dollars to outsource work to private attorneys, Tries to introduce materials during trial without sharing with defense counsel, Hires her ’friends’ to benefit herself,” Mr. Jordan wrote on X.
Rep. Russell Frye, a South Carolina Republican on the Judiciary Committee, wrote on X that the revelations are “further proof that Fani Willis is a rogue prosecutor only interested in attacking President Trump.”
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee Republican, posted on her X account, “Here’s what we know about Nathan Wade: 1) He is a private attorney who has NEVER tried a felony case 2) He is allegedly engaged in a romance with Fani Willis 3) He has been paid nearly $1 million from taxpayers, authorized by his lover 4) He then allegedly took Willis on luxury vacations.”
Neither Ms. Willis nor Mr. Wade have commented on the allegations.
• Reporter Tom Howell Jr. contributed to this article.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
• Susan Ferrechio can be reached at sferrechio@washingtontimes.com.
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