Fani’s Fanny Is in a Pickle

Firing Nathan Wade Would Preserve the Integrity of Her Office

News broke two weeks ago that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis was embroiled in the divorce of Jocely and Nathan Wade, which sent shockwaves throughout the country.

“Scandalous,” my grandmother would have exclaimed at hearing these salacious allegations about the country’s most potent female district attorney.

In late 2021, Willis hired Wade as a Special Prosecutor to head up the team prosecuting former President Donald Trump and 18 other defendants for allegedly attempting to unlawfully encourage Georgia’s Secretary of State to change the outcome of the popular vote in Georgia.  

Had the popular vote total changed from Vice President Joe Biden to Trump, it would have enabled Trump to receive the 16 electoral college votes from Georgia, thereby preventing Joe Biden from becoming the 46th President of the United States of America.  

The optics are reminiscent of scenes from the Yellowstone streaming series. The allegation of an improper relationship between Wade and Willis could derail Willis’s RICO prosecution of the former President. This prosecution is vital to the people of Georgia and the democratic process throughout the country. Trump must answer for his conduct in Georgia following the 2020 election, even if the allegations are not proven. The American people need to know if a President went too far to remain in office in the face of apparent defeat.

An irretrievably Broken Marriage

Jocelyn Wade wants a piece of the $654,00.00 Nathan Wade has earned over two years leading the prosecution of the former President. She contends that her husband spent the money he made from Fulton County on District Attorney Willis. Mrs. Wade’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, asserts that Mr. Wade purchased airline tickets twice in Willis’ name and booked a Caribbean cruise in her name.

If true, this hardly puts a dent in Nathan Wade’s salary out of the Fulton County treasury. Attorney Merchant should be able to determine the equitable division of the martial income without dragging Willis into a marriage that had fallen apart before Nathan Wade received his first check from Fulton County.

Nathan Wade is a partner in a Marietta law firm, Wade & Campbell. Presumably, the law firm has earned him a nice income over the years. Where is the proof that the airline tickets and the cruise did not come from the monies Wade earned as a partner at Wade & Campbell?

So what is the Wade divorce case all about?

During a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday celebration speech at Big Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on January 14, 2024, Willis said Mrs. Wade was bringing her into the Wades’ uncontested divorce to derail her prosecution of former President Trump.

When the allegations came to light, Attorney Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead criminal defense attorney in Georgia, said he would not bring that allegation without solid proof. However, simultaneously with Sadow’s measured response, his client went on the political attack, claiming Willis was engaged in a sordid affair, and this should be a disqualifying act and a get-out-of-jail-free card for him.

Sadow followed his boss’ political rant and posted a comment on X, formerly known as Twitter, chiding Willis and encouraging her to release a statement to the public concerning allegations made in a court pleading. The old veteran Sadow knows that the appropriate place for Willis to respond is in the court pleadings, not the town square. But this wisdom flies in the face of the boss’ political interest.

What’s more important, a personal, romantic relationship or the public trust?

The above is an easy question. The erosion of the public trust far outweighs trips to San Francisco and the islands of the seas. Willis must fire Nathan Wade immediately and let the Wades sort out the marital distribution of assets without entangling the Fulton County prosecution into the alleged unlawful acts of the 45th President in their failed marriage.

Willis hired Wade after several prominent and high-profile attorneys turned Willis down. A possible alternative to Wade is Paul Howard, who knows the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office too well.

Even though Willis got national recognition for successfully prosecuting Atlanta Public Schools Teachers under Georgia’s RICO statute in the mid-2010s, she worked under the then District Attorney, Paul Howard.

Harold Michael Harvey, JD, is the Living Now 2020 Bronze Medal winner for his memoir Freaknik Lawyer: A Memoir on the Craft of Resistance. He is the author of a book on Negro Leagues Baseball, The Duke of 18th & Vine: Bob Kendrick Pitches Negro Leagues Baseball. He writes feature stories for Black College Nines.Com. Harvey is a member of the Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, HBCU and PRO Sports Media Association, and the Legends Committee for the National College Baseball Hall of Fame. Harvey is an engaging speaker. Contact Harvey at hmharvey@haroldmichaelharvey.com.