ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A prominent defense attorney involved in the Fulton County racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and his allies appeared before a Georgia state Senate committee hearing Wednesday morning.
Ashleigh Merchant is the first person to be subpoenaed before the committee, which is investigating Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Merchant, along with her client and former Trump campaign staff member Michael Roman, filed bombshell allegations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in January.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Defense attorney subpoenaed to appear before state committee investigating Fulton DA Fani Willis
In the filing, Merchant and Roman alleged that Willis and a special prosecutor she hired for the Trump case, Nathan Wade, violated professional, ethical and financial boundaries in their romantic relationship.
Willis and Wade say their relationship started in 2022, after Willis hired Wade, and that there was no conflict of interest or financial benefit.
After a series of hearings and testimony in court, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said he will decide within two weeks if Willis will be disqualified from the case.
WATCH THE FULL HEARING:
Willis is the locally elected district attorney who issued dozens of indictments in August 2023 accusing Trump and his allies of trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.
But in early January, an explosive court filing by Michael Roman, one of Trump’s co-defendants, and his attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, accused Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade of having a romantic relationship.
Roman is a former White House aide who served as the director of Trump’s election day operations. Prosecutors allege Roman was involved in efforts to put forth a set of fake electors after the 2020 election, a charge to which Roman has pleaded not guilty.
Roman’s court filing claims Willis and Wade took lavish vacations together and that Wade used part of his salary from the district attorney’s office to travel with Willis. Merchant also claims to have discovered “outside of court filings” that Willis and Wade went on trips together.
Roman then filed another stunning court document, claiming Bradley would claim Willis and Wade had a personal relationship before Willis hired Wade.
Full coverage of Fani Willis’ disqualification hearing
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