Former special prosecutor Nathan Wade appeared to backtrack on his statement Wednesday during a CNN interview after noting his affair with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ended when they realized it could “probably interfere with the work.”
Wade appeared on “The Source With Kaitlan Collins” to discuss his step back from handling former President Donald Trump’s alleged election interference case after reports of his relationship with Willis surfaced, as well as allegations of the two going on vacations and using funds earned from their positions.
As Wade reflected on the hearing both he and Willis underwent regarding the details of their relationship, CNN host and former Daily Caller reporter Kaitlan Collins questioned the former special prosecutor on his thoughts of the impact regarding his “credibility.”(RELATED: CNN’s Elie Honig Says Fani Willis’ Trump Case ‘May Not Get Tried Ever’ After ‘Surprising’ Decision)
“You’re not worried that it hurts your credibility with people who look at this case?” Collins asked.
“I‘m not worried about that. I think that the people who are looking at it, are looking at it through a lens that‘s most favorable to whatever their position is,” Wade said.
As Collins continued to call out the “scrutiny” other prosecutors within Trump’s cases have received, she noted that some who watched Willis’ and Wade’s relationship unfold questioned the situation. As Wade stated that he believed the two handled everything “professionally,” he noted the moment when the two decided to “go a different route.”
“And when you‘re prosecuting the former president of the United States, you know, you‘re gonna get a lot of scrutiny. I mean, we‘ve seen it with every single person who has investigated him. From Robert Mueller, to the district attorney in New York, to the special counsel Jack Smith. I think some people would see the situation that you and Fani Willis were in and say, ‘What were they thinking?'” Collins asked.
“Sure, sure. And I’ll say this the moment that we realized that what we were doing could probably interfere with the work, we took a step back and decided to go a different route. That‘s what I‘ll say. And I think that we handled it professionally. We handled it within the confines of the law and the court has said as much,” Wade said.
“So you’re saying there was a moment where the two of you stopped and realized that what you were doing would not be beneficial for the case that you were attempting to prosecute,” Collins responded.
“No, no, no, no. Now, we know that the profundity of any response lies within the question. And that question, the premise of that question, I don‘t agree with, right? So I guess what I‘m saying to you is there was a moment during our interaction where we decided to make the decision to step away from that and focus on the work solely,” Wade said.
Within early January, reports of Wade and Willis’ relationship surfaced and were confirmed by the two as allegations piled that not only did they use expenses to fund vacations after Willis appointed Wade to his position, but that the former prosecutor additionally had met with the White House before indicting Trump. Following a hearing with an appeals court on whether Willis’ team should be dismissed from the case, presiding Judge Scott McAfee gave the option of either having Wade step down or Willis and the entire office step aside from the case.
By March 15, Wade formally submitted his resignation from the position, citing the “interest of democracy” as he urged for Trump’s case to move “forward as quickly as possible.” However, despite Wade’s choice, a Georgia appeals court in June ordered McAfee to pause all proceedings on Trump’s case due to a pending decision over Willis’ possible disqualification, leading some legal experts to believe the case will never get picked up if Willis is to be disqualified.
