ATLANTA — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has no intention of stepping down from the Georgia 2020 election RICO case, according to a report Thursday morning by CNN.
CNN reporter Zachary Cohen cited "sources familiar with the thinking inside the DA's Office."
The reporting on the view from inside the DA's Office comes amid building pressure from accusations first lodged last month of an improper romantic relationship between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, as well as misused taxpayer funds. Those accusations were brought by an attorney for Trump codefendant Mike Roman, who is seeking to disqualify Willis and Wade from the case with a motion that will have a hearing before Judge Scott McAfee on Feb. 15.
Records submitted in Wade's ongoing divorce proceedings in Cobb County allege that he purchased airline tickets for Willis to San Francisco and Miami, among other items. Wade also paid for hotels and cruises around the same time, but it's unclear if Willis was with him.
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Recently unsealed documents in the divorce case reviewed by 11Alive showed no further proof of an alleged romance. Wade and Willis have not directly addressed the allegations.
Former President Donald Trump's attorneys, in joining the motion to disqualify Willis, argued those comments were a "glaring, flagrant, and calculated effort to foment racial bias into this case."
The motion by Roman's attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, also seeks to have the case dismissed. In addition to Trump, codefendant Bob Cheeley also joined Merchant's motion.
An attorney representing one of the codefendants told 11Alive on Wednesday that Willis and Wade have been subpoenaed to testify at the Feb. 15 hearing. A spokesperson for the DA's Office did not respond to questions before 11Alive reported the subpoenas on Wednesday.
The DA's office has until a Friday deadline, Feb. 2, to respond to the motion to disqualify.
Wade avoided testifying in the his ongoing divorce trial Tuesday after he reached a temporary agreement with his estranged wife, Joycelyn.
Joycelyn Wade's attorney, Andrea Hastings, spoke to 11Alive on Wednesday in her first sit-down interview and said she has "documentary evidence that suggests to me that they absolutely are engaging in a romantic relationship."
Hastings also stressed the independence of her client's divorce proceedings, which are playing out in Cobb County, separate from the Fulton County RICO case.
"We're not connected with the other case," she said. "We are seeking similar information about the same people but for different purposes. And it's important to me that people understand that."