ATLANTA — The attorney representing the estranged wife of Trump special prosecutor Nathan Wade gave her first sit-down interview with 11Alive Wednesday afternoon.
Andrea Hastings, who represents Joycelyn Wade, described the headline-grabbing divorce proceedings against the man tapped by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to help lead the ongoing prosecution of former President Donald Trump and 14 others for alleged election interference.
The Cobb County divorce case became embroiled in the controversy surrounding the election trial after a Trump codefendant alleged that Nathan Wade and Willis were engaged in an improper romantic relationship and misused taxpayer funds.
Hastings told 11Alive that she did not coordinate her filings with efforts to disqualify Willis from the racketeering case. Similar legal maneuvers were made on the same day in both cases earlier this month.
Trump codefendant Mike Roman filed a motion on Jan. 8 seeking to disqualify Willis and Wade from the criminal case, alleging she had engaged in a "personal, romantic relationship" with Wade that financially benefitted the pair.
On the same day, court records show Hastings issued a subpoena to Willis to testify in the Wades' divorce 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."
Hastings said she issued her subpoena after receiving information from an open records request and Wade himself.
"We didn't know about a potential romantic relationship between Nathan Wade and Fani Willis until immediately before Christmas," said Hastings. "When we came back after the first of the year, we prepared and issued the subpoena."
When asked what proof she had to support the allegation that Wade and Willis are romantically linked, Hastings said she wouldn't be making the argument if she didn't believe she had the evidence to back it up.
"I have documentary evidence that suggests to me that they absolutely are engaging in a romantic relationship, and I wouldn't be pursuing this line of question, this avenue of investigation, if I wasn't reasonably certain of that fact," said Hastings.
Among the evidence, Hastings pointed to credit card statements included in one of her earlier court filings, purporting to show Wade paid for airline tickets to Miami and San Francisco for himself and Willis between 2022 and 2023. Wade also paid for hotels and cruises around the same time, but it's unclear if Willis was with him.
So far, it has not been independently confirmed that the trips were for personal and not business-related activities.
Recently unsealed documents in the divorce case reviewed by 11Alive showed no further proof of an alleged romance.
RELATED: Filing alleges Fulton special prosecutor Nathan Wade bought airline tickets for DA Fani Willis
Hastings told 11Alive she's pursuing information that could shed more light on the nature of the relationship between Willis and Nathan Wade because it could play an important role in the ongoing divorce case.
"Adultery is not only a grounds for divorce in Georgia, it's also a factor for the judge to consider or the court to consider in equitably dividing assets," Hastings said.
Wade has not responded to multiple requests for comment about these allegations. Through a spokesman, Willis said she'd only be responding through court filings of her own.
Willis' attorney previously criticized Hastings' effort to depose the district attorney, accusing Joycelyn Wade of "using the legal process to harass and embarrass" District Attorney Willis as well as "obstructing and interfering with an ongoing criminal prosecution."
On Wednesday, Hastings said she Willis' response as a threat.
"If we proceeded with this deposition, that we would be prosecuted criminally for it," Hastings said. "That's how I took it."
Hastings sought to have Willis testify about the alleged romance under oath, but Cobb County Superior Court Judge Henry Thompson stayed the subpoena last week.
Willis may not be deposed in the case at all. In last week's ruling, Thompson said he wanted to hear from Nathan Wade at a Jan. 31 court hearing before deciding if he needed to hear from Willis.
However, the Wades reached a temporary agreement before the scheduled hearing that settled issues around attorneys fees and alimony. The hearing was canceled.
The case is ongoing, and attorneys for Nathan Wade seek to have records in the case sealed again.
Nathan Wade filed for divorce from Joycelyn Wade on Nov. 2, 2021 — one day after being named the lead special prosecutor in the developing election investigation.
The Fulton County District Attorney's Office has until Feb. 2 to file a written response to Roman's motion to disqualify. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee set a Feb. 15 hearing on the motion to disqualify.
Trump and codefendant Bob Cheeley have adopted Roman's motion to disqualify.
Watch the full interview with Hastings below.