Legal experts call new​ Georgia filing: 'National Enquirer dressed up in a pleading'

Donald Trump's co-defendant, Michael Roman, is attempting to stop the Georgia case with a new filing that legal experts characterize as worse than a Hail Mary.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that in a filing, Roman alleges that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hired an alleged romantic partner to work on her team and that she financially benefitted from "the clandestine personal relationship."

It comes while Trump's lawyers say that criminal charges against him are a violation of the Constitution because he has presidential immunity.

"The bombshell public filing alleged that special prosecutor Nathan Wade, a private attorney, paid for lavish vacations he took with Willis using the Fulton County funds his law firm received," said the report. "County records show that Wade, who has played a prominent role in the election interference case, has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022. The DA authorizes his compensation."

Roman is demanding Willis, who was elected, be disqualified from the case, not Wade, however.

"Accordingly, the district attorney and the special prosecutor have violated laws regulating the use of public monies, suffer from irreparable conflicts of interest, and have violated their oaths of office under the Georgia Rules of Professional Conduct and should be disqualified from prosecuting this matter," the 127-page filing reads.

The information comes from anonymous sources, something Trump has raged about personally. His lawyers sourced "discussions with individuals with knowledge," who claimed Willis and Wade were "romantically involved" before she brought him onto the case and that their relationship continued during the case.

A spokesperson for Willis said that the office would respond in the court filings.

"The filing does not provide any witness affidavits or concrete evidence of a romantic relationship between Wade & Willis," said Lawfare's Anna Bower.

Fellow lawyer Joyce Faraone called it "typical mud-slinging by Trump and his minions. It's the National Enquirer M.O. dressed up in a 'legal pleading."'

Others pointed out that the author of the filing, Roman, has quite the past. Not only is he possible co-conspirator No. 6 in Jack Smith's case, but national security expert Marcy Wheeler called him Trump's (and before that, the Koch's) in-house spy (targeting Republicans, I've been told.) So, [the] fact that he's making allegations about Fani Willis' personal life raises some interesting questions."

Fox's Tucker Carlson replacement, Jesse Watters, used the filing to lead with the story at the top of his show.