Allegations that Atlanta District Attorney Fani Willis may have had a relationship with one of her legal team, Nathan Wade, have no relevance to Donald Trump's election interference case, a former federal prosecutor has said.
Glenn Kirschner, who was a federal prosecutor for over 30 years, said that there has been a lot of "wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth" over the allegations but they will not save Trump from his upcoming Georgia trial.
Kirschner, speaking on Sunday on his YouTube channel, said that, even assuming the allegations are true, they "almost certainly" will have no impact on Trump's trial.
He said the evidence against Trump is "overwhelming and irrefutable" and that Trump will be convicted.
Trump's only recourse is distraction by "digging up dirt and throwing it into the public square," Kirschner said.
He said the only legal question is whether Willis' alleged relationship infringed the rights of Trump and the other defendants in the case. It didn't appear to, based on what we know so far, he added.
He said that the defendants "are going to kick up some dust about it" and the judge in the case will hold a hearing on it.
Kirschner said that was a good thing as everything should be exposed to the harsh light of day and "transparency is always a good thing."
While it may lead to an investigation by the Georgia bar association, it will not affect Trump's trial, he said.
Norm Eisen, who served as special counsel to the House of Representatives' first impeachment of Trump and who is a key ally of Willis, told reporters on Saturday that there is no legal basis to disqualify Wade, an Atlanta-area lawyer whom Willis hired on contract as a special prosecutor to lead the case.
However, he said that Wade should step away from the Trump case.
Eisen said Willis should not step aside because of the importance of the case and because the voters of Fulton County elected her to the job, the Washington Post reported.
"There is an overwhelming amount of evidence justifying the decision to prosecute Mr. Trump and his co-conspirators, including Mr. Roman," Eisen said, referring to co-defendant Mike Roman, who included the allegations about Willis and Wade in a filing two weeks ago seeking to disqualify both from the case, the Washington Post also reported.
Bank statements filed in Wade's divorce case suggest that he paid for Willis' flights on two trips. Provided by his wife, Joycelyn Wade, the statements show that Wade purchased tickets for himself and Willis on two occasions: one for a trip to Miami bought in October 2022; and the other to San Francisco purchased in April 2023.
The statements show the payments came from a Visa Signature Business account. Newsweek has been unable to verify at this time whether the tickets were paid for using public money or whether the account is for Wade's personal funds
Newsweek contacted Fani Willis' office via email for comment on Sunday.
Trump and 18 others were charged in August 2023 in relation to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election result. Trump has consistently denied all charges against him and repeatedly said that they are part of a political witch hunt aimed at derailing him as GOP frontrunner in the 2024 presidential race.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Sean O'Driscoll is a Newsweek Senior Crime and Courts Reporter based in Ireland. His focus is reporting on U.S. law. ... Read more
