October 21, 2024
Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor charged in the recent high-profile election fraud case against the then president Donald Trump in Georgia, acknowledged during testimony that he had never dealt with racketeering cases. That fact has brought more pressure on the case, which has already been heavily scrutinized due to Wade’s personal connection to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. This was made public to the House Judiciary Committee in an Oct. 15 deposition where Wade admitted to taking a class on RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) law as part of taking the charge.
Wade, who served as a special prosecutor under Willis, testified that he attended what he referred to as “RICO school” to learn the intricacies of the law. He said, “It’s a very complicated legal concept, but the dubbed ‘Godfather of RICO,’ the gentleman who wrote the book, spent hours and hours teaching me RICO.”
This disclosure follows Wade’s disengagement from the case after news broke of his relationship with DA Fani Willis. Trump and his fellow defendants have called Willis out for improperly selecting Wade, given his lack of experience as well as personal conflict of interest. While Wade and Willis say that they started dating after he was appointed to the case, he quit the role due to the scandal in March 2024.
Lack of Experience, but High Billing Rates
Wade’s testimony also revealed a disturbing habit of obliviousness to fundamental aspects of his work on the Trump case. Wade avoided any specifics when pressed on recorded meetings with White House officials and members of the House Select Committee probing the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and said he had a “bad memory.”
One of the most salient bits of testimony involved Wade charging the district attorney’s office $250 an hour to sit down with White House counsel in May 2022. Several times when asked Wade to recall the meeting, he said that he did not remember anyone who came or what was being discussed.
Wade once found himself facing an invoice he had sent, containing $6,000 for 24 hours of work, meetings with House Select Committee members. Again, Wade did not offer a lot of information and was slow to reply.
No Direct Coordination with the Biden Administration?
Wade did not speak directly with anyone at the Biden Justice Department, such as special counsel Jack Smith, who oversaw several of Trump’s investigations, during his testimony. He insisted that no one from the White House, the Justice Department or the January 6th Committee pressured him or any member of his investigation team regarding the arraignment of Trump or those who support him.
But Wade did admit to the fact that witness testimony on the case took place in Washington, DC, but could not say more. The inconsistency of Wade’s memory surprised Judiciary Committee members who wondered whether he had conducted himself with the care and attention it required in such a high profile case.
Conflict of Interest and the Fallout from the Affair
Wade and Willis’s case has put both lawyers under huge pressure. Republicans have questioned why Wade had never prosecuted racketeering cases before his appointment to the post. Trump’s legal team has already pointed this out as further proof that the investigation is politically driven and improper from the start.
Wade’s departure from the case was considered necessary in order to limit future conflicts of interest. But the damage to the prosecution’s reputation is already done. Even legal analysts and Trump’s allies are now asking whether Willis’s judgment was influenced by her relationship with Wade.
Moving Forward: Ongoing Investigations
Wade’s testimony will be on the front burner of hearings going forward for both the Georgia election fraud investigation and more generally concerns about prosecutorial abuse as the House Judiciary Committee continues its inquiry. It is due to report final conclusions on Dec. 13, 2024.
Neither Wade’s lawyers nor the district attorney Willis has responded further to the deposition findings. But the Trump campaign has used the rift to make allegations against the case’s credibility, calling it a “witch hunt,” and pointing to Wade’s lack of experience and relationship with the DA.
This matter will likely continue to be a focus as Trump continues his 2024 presidential campaign and is being litigated in numerous states. The House Judiciary Committee’s report is reportedly going to shed more light on what transpired during Wade’s involvement and Willis’s handling of the case.
