Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the 2020 election case against him in Georgia should be dropped after prosecutor Fani Willis was accused of ethics violations.
A co-defendant in the Trump case alleged in court documents that Willis had an "improper" romantic relationship with a special prosecutor she hired, Nathan Wade. Willis and Wade allegedly benefited financially from the relationship in the form of vacations the two took using funds that his law firm received for working the case.
"You had a very big event yesterday as you saw in Georgia where the district attorney is totally compromised. The case has to be dropped," Trump told reporters In Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, speaking after a hearing in a separate federal 2020 election interference case. "They went after 18 or 20 people. … She was out of her mind. Now it turns out that case is totally compromised.
"It’s illegal. What she did is illegal. So we’ll let the state handle that, but what a sad situation it is," Trump added.
The allegations against Willis were included in a motion that was filed on behalf of former Trump campaign official Michael Roman, a co-defendant in the case, in a bid to have the charges against him dismissed.
It cites "sources close to both the special prosecutor and the district attorney" as confirming "they had an ongoing, personal relationship."
County records show Wade has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, an amount authorized by the district attorney, or Willis in this case.
The filing also calls for the entire district attorney's office, including Willis and Wade, to be disqualified from prosecuting the case.
TOP TRUMP PROSECUTOR, GEORGIA DA ALLEGED TO BE IN 'IMPROPER' ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP: COURT FILING
In August, Willis charged Trump out of her investigation into his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in the state. Trump was charged with one count of violation of the Georgia RICO Act, three counts of criminal solicitation, six counts of criminal conspiracy, one count of filing false documents and two counts of making false statements.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The former president and 2024 frontrunner also faces charges in separate cases in New York City, Florida and Washington, D.C.
Trump appeared in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday as his attorneys argued he has presidential immunity from charges stemming from Special Counsel Jack Smith's investigation.
Trump attorney D. John Sauer argued that the president has "absolute immunity," even after leaving office, and that President Biden, "the current incumbent of the presidency is prosecuting his number one political opponent and his greatest electoral threat." Smith's legal team said presidents are not entitled to absolute immunity and that Trump's alleged actions fall outside a president's official job duties.
Smith’s case against Trump is on pause as Trump’s attorneys appeal the case and argue that presidential immunity protects him from being prosecuted. The trial had been set to begin on March 4.
It is unclear when the appeals court will issue a decision.
Fox News Digital's Brooke Singman and Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.
