Fulton County drops Fani Willis
The Fulton County Board of Ethics was slated to review two complaints against Willis, triggered by her romantic involvement with a special prosecutor in the election interference case.
Fulton County ethics watchdog address complaints
A scheduled hearing by a Fulton County ethics watchdog to address complaints against District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has been canceled, as indicated by an updated meeting agenda. The Fulton County Board of Ethics was slated to review two complaints against Willis, triggered by her romantic involvement with a special prosecutor in the election interference case involving former President Trump, sparking concerns about a conflict of interest.
The board concluded that it lacks jurisdiction over Willis, who holds a state constitutional officer position, as reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The Hill reached out for comments from the Board of Ethics’s secretary and the clerk to the Fulton County Board of Commissioners.
Willis’s relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade
One of the complaints was filed by Fulton County resident Steven Kramer, who raised questions about Willis’s relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade and whether she received improper benefits from his hiring.
Kramer highlighted the additional resources and financial costs incurred by Fulton County taxpayers to address this alleged improper relationship in his complaint submitted on Feb. 14. The second complaint, filed by internet-based talk show host Gregory Mantell, alleged multiple violations of the Fulton County Ethics Code by Willis, as detailed in a Substack post.
Scrutiny surrounding the District Attorney
While the Ethics board inquiry gained attention from national figures such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who expressed anticipation for the hearing on social media, a Republican-led state Senate committee also conducted an investigation this week into Willis’s relationship with Wade, focusing on allegations of taxpayer fund misuse by the district attorney.
On Wednesday, the Georgia state Senate Special Committee on Investigations questioned Ashleigh Merchant, the defense attorney representing 2020 Trump campaign operative Michael Roman, who first disclosed the romance in a January court filing. Although few new details emerged from Merchant's investigation into the prosecutors during the hearing, it continued to highlight the relationship.
The ongoing scrutiny surrounding the district attorney's relationship comes as the judge overseeing the 2020 election interference case considers whether to disqualify Willis and her office from the prosecution. Judge Scott McAfee anticipates issuing a ruling on the matter by the end of next week, potentially leading to the appointment of a different district attorney's office to handle the case if Willis and the Fulton County district attorney's office are removed.