While Congress is officially not in session until after the November 5 election, that doesn’t mean there’s no business getting done on Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, investigators for the House Judiciary Committee heard closed-door testimony from former Fulton County Special Prosecuting Attorney Nathan Wade in a bid for information regarding Wade’s relationship with District Attorney Fani Willis and whether federal tax dollars helped bankroll it.
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Former Fulton County Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade left Capitol Hill on Tuesday after a marathon four-and-a-half hour grilling by House Judiciary Committee investigators.
Wade, whose legal team included former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, said little to reporters before, after and during his closed-door deposition. No lawmakers were seen entering or leaving the room.
“This is all I’m going to say – we gave our testimony, we cooperated and we are through,” Barnes told reporters after the session.
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The House Judiciary Committee has been seeking information on Wade’s relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who is investigating former President Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. Trump and 18 allies were indicted by a grand jury in August 2023 on charges including racketeering and conspiracy.
Wade was brought into that investigation by Willis as a special prosecutor, but stepped away after it was revealed he and Willis began a romantic relationship, which has since ended.
That the testimony actually took place is something of a minor miracle, given the difficulty investigators initially had in locating Wade to serve him with a subpoena and the subsequent interference run by Willis in the form of letters directed to Wade and Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Friday.
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In late September, we brought you the story of the mysteriously missing Wade. Ultimately, he was tracked down and served by the U.S. Marshals. (This also came after the odd situation in late August where Willis and Wade were caught on camera together at the scene of her daughter’s arrest.)
Whoops: US Marshals Called Out to Find Missing Nathan Wade to Serve Subpoena
Fani Willis Raises Eyebrows Again When She Shows Up With Nathan Wade at Site of Daughter’s Arrest
But ahead of Tuesday’s testimony, Willis let it be known — both to Jordan and Wade — that her office was asserting all applicable privileges and instructed Wade “not to answer any questions about his role in the election interference case or about any evidence in that case.”
🚨 #BREAKING: FANI WILLIS demands NATHAN WADE not answer questions at his deposition tomorrow before the Judiciary Committee.
What is she trying to hide? pic.twitter.com/eouMF7iMCt
— House Judiciary GOP 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 (@JudiciaryGOP) October 14, 2024
To be fair, there may well be applicable privileges that would prohibit Wade from disclosing certain information at this time. (Willis lays them out in her letters — whether her contentions are valid I’ll leave to those better familiar with Georgia law.) We don’t know the extent to which Wade followed said instructions — and clearly, there was some testimony given, as Tuesday’s deposition was described as a “marathon four-and-a-half-hour grilling.”
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Presumably, at some point, we’ll be privy to the testimony — if the committee releases the transcript and/or if they issue a report on their findings. Until then, we’re left to wonder.
