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‘Purely Coincidental’: Nathan Wade Defends Filing For Divorce One Day After Signing Contract With Fani Willis

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Special prosecutor Nathan Wade said his filing for divorce one day after his contract with the Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ office began was “purely coincidental.”

Wade, who signed a contract with Willis on Nov. 1, 2021, filed to divorce his wife the next day, according to court records. He said during a Thursday hearing that the timing had to do with when his wife was in town and could be served with the divorce papers, not with his employment at the district attorney’s office.

“Joycelyn had relocated to Texas,” Wade said. “And she had been in Texas for months. She was only here for a brief period of time to drive my daughter’s car back with her. When she came here to do that, I was able to then get her served.”

Judge Scott McAfee scheduled the Thursday hearing to consider whether Willis should be disqualified over allegations that she financially benefited from awarding Wade a “lucrative” contract to work on the case against former President Donald Trump when he took her on vacations.

“So your answer as to why you waited until the day after you were hired by Ms. Willis on Nov. 1, 2021 to file the complaint for the divorce on Nov. 2, 2021 was your testimony under oath is because your wife was here, but had not been here in October, had not been here in September, had not been here in August of 2021?” asked Steve Sadow, Trump’s attorney.

“She had been in Texas taking care of her ailing mother, so the first opportunity that I had after speaking with my lawyers to take care of things was the date it was filed and served,” he said. “That was purely coincidental, the contract.”

Wade said he and his wife first agreed to get a divorce in 2015 after she had an affair, but chose to wait until all of the children were out of the house.