Nathan Wade, a former Fulton County prosecutor and ex-lover of District Attorney Fani Willis, has been located by U.S. Marshals after disappearing following a congressional subpoena. Wade, who was subpoenaed by the U.S. House Judiciary Committee as part of an investigation into the potential mismanagement of federal funds in Willis’s office, had evaded service for over a week. However, he was tracked down late Thursday, according to reports by The Gateway Pundit, just as rumors of a looming manhunt began to surface.
The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), has been probing Willis’s handling of federal funds amid her high-profile prosecution of former President Donald Trump for election interference. Whistleblowers within Willis’s office have alleged that federal grants intended for gang diversion programs were diverted to pay Wade and other staff working on the Trump case. Wade reportedly collected up to $700,000 in taxpayer dollars over two years before leaving the district attorney’s office.
The committee’s investigation has taken a new turn following Wade’s sudden disappearance after receiving a subpoena for his testimony. Wade’s attorney declined to accept the subpoena on his behalf, leading the committee to attempt to serve him directly via email—a method to which Wade never responded. This prompted U.S. Marshals to become involved in the search.
Earlier this week, a spokesperson for the committee called Wade’s disappearance “extremely unusual” for someone of his prominence. Wade, who has been making public appearances and giving interviews in an attempt to clear his name, previously claimed that nepotism played no role in his hiring by Willis and denied any ongoing relationship with her. However, police body camera footage surfaced earlier this month, showing Wade by Willis’s side during her daughter’s recent arrest, reigniting scrutiny over their relationship.
Chairman Jordan criticized Wade for failing to comply with the subpoena, stating that last-minute legal advice from Willis did not excuse Wade’s absence. “The eleventh-hour intervention from District Attorney Willis does not excuse your failure to appear for your transcribed interview,” Jordan wrote in a public letter.
Now that Wade has been located and served, he will be compelled to testify before the House Judiciary Committee, where Republicans are expected to press him on the political motivations behind Willis’s prosecution of Trump. There are concerns that federal funds were improperly diverted to finance the case against the former president, rather than being used for their intended purpose of gang intervention.
As pressure mounts on Willis, she has become increasingly defensive, accusing Trump and his allies of using racially motivated attacks against her. Trump’s defense team has filed motions to dismiss the case, citing “racial animus” in Willis’s comments after she criticized Trump for mocking her first name. Many legal observers believe the case against Trump may be on the verge of collapse, despite Willis’s aggressive pursuit.
The controversy surrounding Nathan Wade’s role in the Trump case and his relationship with Willis only adds to the growing scrutiny of the district attorney’s office as the investigation into possible misuse of taxpayer funds continues.