Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, and special prosecutor Nathan Wade have publicly acknowledged having a “personal relationship” in 2022.
They are, however, refusing to step down from the election case against former president Donald Trump.
Trump and his co-defendants are seeking to disqualify the prosecutors, alleging an improper relationship and financial benefits.
Willis dismissed conflict of interest claims as “salacious” and in “bad faith,” while Wade, in an affidavit, denied sharing compensation with Willis.
The case raises questions about potential disruptions if the prosecutors are disqualified, with a hearing scheduled for Feb 15.
One of Trump’s co-defendants, Michael Roman, was the first to bring allegations of improper relationship and financial benefits against the two.
The accusations threaten to undermine the prosecution of the former president and his allies for an alleged conspiracy to reverse Georgia’s 2020 election results.
The former president seized on the admission, writing on Truth Social on Friday that:
“by going after the most high level person… she was able to get her ‘lover’ much more money”.
In her filing, Willis argues that they do not meet the threshold for disqualification under Georgia state law.
In a slightly separate development, a federal judge has postponed the election subversion trial of former US president Donald Trump while his appeal plays out in court.
That trial was set to begin on March 4, but will now be delayed indefinitely, Judge Tanya Chutkan said on Friday, Feb 2.
The case is over Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
His lawyers have argued that he should not face criminal charges because he was a sitting president at the time.
The Republican frontrunner for president in November’s election was charged last year over his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
That case is different from the three other criminal trials he faces.
One is related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state of Georgia, which is being prosecuted by Fani Willis and Nathan Wade.
Another is related to his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office, and the third is related to an alleged hush-money payment Mr Trump made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
