Nathan Wade’s Lawfare Amnesia

Our James Lynch has a solid report on Nathan Wade’s recent appearance for a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee. As we recapped last week, Wade is the Atlanta lawyer who was recruited by his paramour — Fulton County’s elected Democratic district attorney, Fani Willis — to prosecute Donald Trump and numerous other defendants in a 2020 election-interference case. Wade was married at the time, so the ensuing scandal embroiled Willis in his divorce proceeding; it also raised issues of prosecutorial self-dealing, conflict of interest, and potentially criminal financial fraud and perjury that led to Wade’s recusal from the case.

In my view, Willis, too, should have been disqualified. Judge Scott McAffee’s refusal to do that, despite finding that testimony by Willis and Wade had filled his courtroom with the “odor of mendacity,” is being appealed. No decision is expected on that issue until next year, which is part of why the case is in suspended animation. (Given the nature of the charges and anticipated evidence, Trump will have major immunity claims to raise when and if the case against him proceeds.)

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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Our James Lynch has a solid report on Nathan Wade’s recent appearance for a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee. As we recapped last week, Wade is the Atlanta lawyer who was recruited by his paramour — Fulton County’s elected Democratic district attorney, Fani Willis — to prosecute Donald Trump and numerous other defendants in a 2020 election-interference case. Wade was married at the time, so the ensuing scandal embroiled Willis in his divorce proceeding; it also raised issues of prosecutorial self-dealing, conflict of interest, and potentially criminal financial fraud and perjury that led to Wade’s recusal from the case.

In my view, Willis, too, should have been disqualified. Judge Scott McAffee’s refusal to do that, despite finding that testimony by Willis and Wade had filled his courtroom with the “odor of mendacity,” is being appealed. No decision is expected on that issue until next year, which is part of why the case is in suspended animation. (Given the nature of the charges and anticipated evidence, Trump will have major immunity claims to raise when and if the case against him proceeds.)

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.