Former Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade, the former lover of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a key figure in the prosecutions efforts against former President Donald Trump, is reportedly missing.
The House Judiciary Committee, led by Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH), has been seeking Wade to gain his testimony as part of their investigation into Willis’ legal case against Trump.
The committee has been unable to find Wade in order to serve a subpoena, reports indicate.
The subpoena, issued last Friday, orders Wade to appear for a closed-door interview.
However, committee spokesperson Russell Dye told Newsweek, “The committee issued the subpoena on Friday, attempted to serve the subpoena to Nathan Wade’s lawyer, who declined, and subsequently the committee tried to serve the subpoena via email through Nathan Wade himself, never heard back.”
“As a result the committee had to use the assistance of the U.S. Marshals, who have also not been able to find Nathan Wade,” Dye said.
“Nathan Wade’s evasion of service is extremely unusual and will require the Committee to spend U.S. tax dollars to locate him,” he warned. “The Judiciary Committee has served over 100 subpoenas this Congress. We have done so, for the most part, without controversy or the need to use the U.S. Marshals.”
The investigation into Wade stems from his previous sexual relationship with Fani Willis, which came to light during the high-profile case against Trump.
Wade, who was hired by Willis to lead the prosecution of Trump for alleged interference in the 2020 election results in Georgia, was forced to resign from the case in March due to this relationship.
Andrew Evans, Wade’s attorney, denied his client was on the run. He told Newsweek that his client had previously “voluntarily agreed to go up to Washington, D.C., and the Republicans canceled it” on July 11.
House investigators said that is false, and that Wade never agreed to appear in the first place.
“The committee offered July 11, and the Wade camp did not accept that date,” Dye said, adding that anything suggesting that the committee “canceled anything in July is false.”
The controversy extends beyond Wade going missing.
Jordan’s subpoena letter, reviewed by the Washington Examiner, raises questions about the financial aspects of Wade’s involvement in the Trump case.
“District Attorney Willis reportedly compensated you and financed her politically motivated prosecution using a mixture of taxpayer funds, possibly including part of the $14.6 million in federal grant funds that her office received from the Department of Justice between 2020 and 2023,” Jordan’s letter said.
Wade reportedly made nearly $700,000 billing Fulton County for his services while in a sexual relationship with Willis, and he allegedly used these funds to take her on luxury vacations.
Willis has defended her office’s controversial spending.
“Any examination of the records of our grant programs will find that they are highly effective and conducted in cooperation with the Department of Justice and in compliance with all Department of Justice requirements,” her office said.
Republicans said Wade has intentionally gone into hiding to avoid answering questions under oath.
A GOP lawyer familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner, “At this point, we know he’s trying to avoid service,” calling Wade’s actions “clearly dilatory.”
The situation has cause accusations of hypocrisy, with critics pointing to recent cases of subpoena non-compliance.
Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, both former advisers to Trump, were imprisoned this year for failing to comply with House-issued subpoenas relating to the January 6 Capitol riot.