What’s next for Fani Willis?

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has become a top target for scrutiny in Georgia after she was hit with scandalous allegations that she used taxpayer dollars to hire a romantic partner to prosecute former President Donald Trump. Willis has not formally responded to the allegations, which surfaced in a court motion filed last week by one of the co-defendants in the case, Michael Roman. Roman has asked a judge to dismiss the case in its entirety and to disqualify Willis from it, and how she defends herself could determine her fate in the most high-profile prosecution of her career.Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, said last week that he would schedule a hearing to examine the matter for sometime in mid-February.Willis can file a response to Roman before then, although she has not yet done so.Roman’s attorney accused Willis in a detailed 127-page filing last week of failing to disclose a conflict of interest in the case and potentially committing honest services fraud.

The attorney said she estimated through invoice attachments that Willis had thus far paid special prosecutor Nathan Wade, a private sector attorney and her alleged lover, nearly $1 million for his work on the case, far more than any state employee would make. The attorney also alleged that Willis appeared to have covertly reaped the benefits of Wade’s income by going on private vacations with him. A review of the amount of money that the special prosecutor has been paid by the district attorney and the personal activities of the district attorney and the special prosecutor duringthe pendency of this prosecution shed light on just how self-serving this arrangement hasbeen,” Roman’s attorney wrote.Wade is going through a divorce, and that case is currently under seal. However, Willis was subpoenaed in the divorce proceedings and is scheduled to appear for a deposition on the morning of Jan. 23, according to a source with knowledge of the case. The source said Willis has now also hired her own lawyer.Roman and several major media outlets have urged a judge to unseal the proceedings, citing a newfound public interest in them Willis’s office did not respond to a request for comment.Payments to Wade, which county records show amount to at least $654,000 since he joined the Trump case, first raised eyebrows months ago.A local attorney at the time told the Washington Examiner the payments were “unorthodox.” Another attorney drew attention to Wade’s nonexistent experience with Georgia’s racketeering laws, which Willis has accused Trump, Roman, and 17 others of violating.