A top Fani Willis ally is calling for the Fulton County district attorney's alleged lover Nathan Wade to step down from leading the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in the Georgia "election interference" case, as the snowballing affair allegations against the embattled Democrat D.A. are creating quite a salacious sideshow to what's supposed to be the main attraction.
High-profile lawyer Norm Eisen, formerly special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee majority for the first impeachment trial of Trump, said that Wade, whom Willis had hired on contract to be the Trump case's lead prosecutor allegedly while the two were in a romantic (and extramarital) relationship, should voluntarily step aside. It's the "wise thing to do," Eisen publicly advised.
The judge surely won’t rule it’s required for Mr. Wade to step aside in GA—but it is the wise thing to do
— Norm Eisen (norm.eisen on Threads) (@NormEisen) January 22, 2024
Whereas Willis must stay on the case
I explained @CNN w @Acosta & @just_security 👉https://t.co/Ipueyui43h pic.twitter.com/w0iShNZLTV
Although he believes there's no legal basis to disqualify Wade, Eisen said the Willis-Wade scandal threatens to derail the case.
"The evidence is strong. The case is powerful. It's very likely to lead to conviction. And we mustn't lose time on the calendar given the paramount public interest in bringing that strong case to a speedy conclusion," Eisen told The Washington Post on Saturday.
The case is a ticking timebomb Trump's political opponents hope will explode prior to the 2024 presidential race's conclusion. The presiding judge has yet to schedule a trial date, though the prosecution sought one for August, ahead of the November election.
"If he were to come to me as ethics czar, as so many people did during my government tenure and since, I would tell him that no matter the law discretion is the better course of valor," Eisen added in legal analysis of the controversy offered to WaPo reporters.
Eisen thinks that a fling between a pair of prosecutors doesn't constitute a conflict of interest and doesn't trigger disqualification proceedings under Georgia law. However, he emphasized that the suspected conduct could violate Fulton County ethics policies.
Whereas, Eisen countered, Willis "must stay on the case," asserting to The Hill that she has "no legal obligation to step down."
"Their [Willis and Wade's] management of the case has been successful," Eisen said, embarking on a media tour over the weekend. "She was elected by the people of Fulton County to prosecute crimes, and this is a serious one that impacted her jurisdiction. So I not only think that she can remain, but I think that she must remain and continue working on the case.”
On Sunday, the Trump impeachment attorney told CNN's Jim Acosta: "There's a lot we don't know yet, but I think Mr. Wade should continue his service to the interests of justice [...] by considering whether or not the time has come to step away."
"‘Our attention has been distracted" by questions surrounding the unfolding scandal, Eisen said, urging the public's focus to return to getting this case before a jury, as Election Day rapidly approaches. "Speed things up! We got to get that to trial!"
Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade should voluntarily step aside
— Norm Eisen (norm.eisen on Threads) (@NormEisen) January 22, 2024
Not because he is legally required to, but bc we need to return focus to 1 of the most serious alleged criminal conspiracies in US history
I explained here 👉 & @CNN w @Acosta👇https://t.co/Ipueyui43h pic.twitter.com/LL8tWHBaha
Claims of the couple's "clandestine" affair surfaced after Trump co-defendant Mike Roman sought to have his criminal charges dismissed in a court filing accusing them of engaging in "improper" relations, thus rendering the indictment "fatally defective."