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Nathan Wade, the former special prosecutor in Georgia, spoke publicly on Monday about his romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
During an interview with Linsey Davis from ABC News, Wade described the relationship as “American as apple pie.” This is the first time Wade has spoken to the media since resigning from the Georgia election interference case against former President Trump in March.
“Workplace romances are as American as apple pie,” Wade said in an interview that aired on “Good Morning America.” “It happens to everyone. But it happened to the two of us.”
When asked if he regretted the relationship, Wade replied that he did because it became the focus of the case. Their previous romance and Willis’ defiant demeanor, when confronted with the appearance of impropriety, upended the case and alarmed even progressives.
Davis also questioned why they didn’t make a statement about their relationship when it first began.
“I regret that that private matter became the focal point of this very important prosecution,” Wade said. “This is a very important case.”
“My conversation here with you today is just that. It’s Nathan’s conversation. I do not speak for the district attorney’s office. I do not speak for their position. As a matter of fact, I am certain that they would rather me not be having this exchange with you. With that, I want to continue to protect the integrity of this prosecution. I don’t want to say or do anything that would jeopardize this case,” Wade said.
The former prosecutor claimed that the disclosure of their relationship had no negative impact on the case.
Wade resigned from the case after Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee ordered that either Willis or Wade recuse themselves from the prosecution. Willis was accused of engaging in a “improper” affair with Wade, whom she hired in 2021. Willis and Wade claim their relationship began in 2022, while Wade claims it ended in the summer of 2023, but the two remain friends.
Willis said she does not believe her reputation has been tarnished as she pursues her 2020 election interference case against Trump.
“I don’t feel like my reputation needs to be reclaimed,” Willis told CNN in March. “I guess my greatest crime is I had a relationship with a man. That’s not something I find embarrassing in any way. And I know that I have not done anything that’s illegal.”
WATCH:
DA Willis is currently dealing with yet another legal issue—this time, a lawsuit brought by a state legislator in Georgia.
In her suit, Rep. Mesha Mainor, a Republican elected to the Georgia House in 2020, “alleges that Willis, Commissioner Marvin Arrington, the Fulton County Ethics Board, and the county itself were derelict in their duties to properly litigate a criminal case in which Mainor was repeatedly stalked by a former friend and political associate,” Newsweek reported.
A spokesperson for the state lawmaker said she would provide additional details regarding the lawsuit during a press conference scheduled.
Mainor, who secured a substantial victory in the 2020 election from the constituents of House District 56 in the Democratic stronghold of Atlanta, grabbed headlines last July by switching parties and formally affiliating herself with the Republican Party. At the time, she said she was no longer morally comfortable complying with Democrats’ “left-wing radicalism, lawlessness, and putting the interests of illegal aliens over the interests of Americans.”
Mainor’s lawsuit, which was filed on April 2 in Fulton County Superior Court, alleges that she enlisted Corwin Monson as a campaign volunteer in January 2019. The lawsuit describes them as associates for several years with numerous mutual friends.
He “assured” Mainor he could help her get elected, though one month later, she was “forced to terminate” him after she witnessed “his unruly, belligerent behavior,” the suit said, according to Newsweek.
It reportedly resulted in multiple instances of stalking in various forms, including Monson showing up uninvited to campaign or church events, lingering outside her residence, making calls from different numbers and leaving voicemails, and even proposing to her in front of her minor children at her home, the suit says.
It also claimed that Monson was “in love” with Mainor, though the two of them had never had a romantic relationship.
A judge granted Mainor’s request for a Temporary Protective Order (TPO) against Monson in August 2019. He was subsequently arrested in both September 2019 and September 2020 for violating the TPO.
Following the second incident, Fulton County indicted Monson for aggravated stalking. The second aggravated assault charge in January 2021 could lead to up to 20 years of imprisonment for Monson.
However, the lawsuit alleges that Arrington, who defended Monson in a legal capacity, “used his influence to circumvent the office policies of the District Attorney’s office,” which allegedly included copying the DA on emails, negotiating plea bargains directly, and demanding meetings.
Newsweek added:
Arrington is also alleged to have told Willis “that b**** is crazy”, in reference to Mainor—claimed within the suit to have peddled his influence to in turn influence Willis.
After Willis was sworn in January 2021, she became responsible for the Monson case.
She reportedly dismissed one of his aggravated stalking cases. On the other charge, she offered a plea of three years with one year served in prison and the rest probation. Mainor said she was never informed of the plea deal, [which she] claimed to be a violation of the Georgia Crime Victims Bill of Rights.
“Furthermore, due to DA Willis’ bias towards Mr. Arrington, Plaintiff Mainor has experienced disparate treatment under the law as a victim,” the suit says. “Plaintiff Mainor has been forced to advocate for herself and her safety, although that is the District Attorney’s role.”
