Nathan Wade, former special prosecutor for Fulton County, Ga., said the romantic relationship he once had with District Attorney Fani Willis has “no place” being discussed in a courtroom.
“I felt like we dealt with it in a manner that was professional. We kept our personal lives personal and private,” Wade told MSNBC’s Joy Reid on Wednesday. “And I still believe that it had no place in the courtroom. Not now and not then.”
Wade was questioned about his romantic relationship with Willis, which was brought to light during their prosecution of former President Trump and his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
He recently said in an interview with ABC News that a romantic relationship with co-workers is as “American as apple pie.” He clarified his remarks Wednesday, saying that workplace romances “can happen to anyone.”
“That was not to make light of the situation. That was just to say that it can happen to anyone. Of course, we’re not speaking in extremes, [it] doesn’t happen to everyone, but it’s a thing that happens,” he said. “It’s a thing that happened to us.”
Wade said their relationship “grew organically” over time and was not “deliberate or intentional.”
The special prosecutor stepped aside from the Trump case in mid-March after the judge ruled he or Willis must do so for the case to continue.
Judge Scott McAfee went against Republican calls for Willis to be dismissed, though he sharply criticized the conflict of interest that was created by them both working on such a high-profile case.
Wade offered his resignation so Willis could continue her prosecution. He said Wednesday that while they no longer talk about the case, they remain the “best of friends” and communicate almost daily about their personal lives and the threats that they each have received since their relationship went public.
