Nathan Wade, the former romantic partner of Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis, has gone missing just as a U.S. House committee ordered him to testify about their affair. A spokesperson for the House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), described it as “extremely unusual” for a potential witness like Wade to suddenly disappear after initial contact.
The Republican-led investigation is examining whether Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, misused federal funds in her pursuit of criminal charges against former President Donald Trump. Wade had previously left Willis’s office following a judge’s ruling requiring the resolution of a conflict of interest before proceeding with the case.
“The Judiciary Committee has served over 100 subpoenas this Congress,” Dye said in a statement to the Daily Caller. “We have done so, for the most part, without controversy or the need to use the U.S. Marshals. Nathan Wade’s evasion of service is extremely unusual and will require the Committee to spend U.S. tax dollars to locate him.”
Wade’s disappearance isn’t the first instance of someone avoiding House investigators. In February, Willis was subpoenaed to appear before the committee after former staff members alleged she redirected federal anti-gang funds to support her Trump investigation. She initially refused to accept the subpoena via email, prompting the House to enlist a U.S. Marshal for hand delivery, according to the Caller. Earlier this month, Willis also defied two other subpoenas—one from the Georgia State Senate and another from a lawyer representing a Trump co-defendant.
Since leaving Willis’ office, Wade has been on an apology tour of sorts, participating in interviews where he denies benefiting from nepotism due to his relationship with Willis. Both Wade and Willis have insisted that their romantic involvement began only after he was hired for the Trump case in late 2021. However, cell phone data and a former friend of Willis suggest that they were spending nights together well before Wade’s official hiring. Over the course of two years, Wade was paid up to $700,000 to assist in the prosecution of Trump.
Willis is now grappling with a case that’s facing serious challenges. Trump’s attorneys are pushing to have the case dismissed, claiming that Willis demonstrated “racial animus” during a public event where she accused Trump of deliberately mocking her first name. Every misstep is now under intense public scrutiny: after her daughter was arrested last month for driving on a suspended license, police body camera footage revealed that Willis and Wade responded to the scene together. When questioned about his identity, Wade described himself as a “family friend,” a statement that appears to contradict his earlier claims that he and Willis are no longer romantically involved.
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