Georgia judge in Trump case orders hearing into allegations of Fulton County DA's misconduct

The Georgia judge overseeing the state election charges against former President Donald Trump has ordered a hearing into allegations that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and the lead prosecutor in the case were involved in an improper relationship and mishandled taxpayer dollars.

Georgia Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee scheduled the hearing for Feb. 15 and ordered Willis to respond to the allegations in writing by Feb. 2, according to The Washington Post, after Trump co-defendant Mike Roman made the accusations in a court filing earlier this month.

Willis is also facing calls to resign, a criminal referral filed with the state and a House Judiciary Committee probe into her alleged conduct. Willis' alleged lover, special prosecutor Nathan Wade, is also under investigation by the House.

McAfee had said earlier this week there could be a hearing into the allegations Roman had urged the judge to dismiss the case over the Democratic district attorney's alleged conduct. 

Wade, who was hired to prosecute Trump and 18 co-defendants on charges related to the 2020 election in Georgia, has received nearly $654,000 in legal fees since he started on the case in January 2022 until December 2023. 

Wade, Willis and their offices should be dismissed from the case "on the grounds that the district attorney and the special prosecutor have been engaged in an improper, clandestine personal relationship during the pendency of this case, which has resulted in the special prosecutor, and, in turn, the district attorney, profiting significantly from this prosecution at the expense of the taxpayers," Roman's attorney said in the filing.

Willis has not directly commented on the allegations, but her spokesperson said her office would respond "through appropriate court filings." 

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