Press: Replace bad decision in Atlanta with a good one  

You could write an entire book about dumb decisions made by smart people. Every time it happens, we ask ourselves: What were they thinking? How could they do something like that?  

In effect, the book writes itself. Chapter One: How could a Defense secretary not tell the president of the United States he’s in the hospital with prostate cancer? Chapter Two: How could a president of the United States have sex with a 22-year-old intern? Chapter Three: How could the governor of New Jersey think he could shut down a key bridge to punish a political opponent and get away with it? The list goes on and on.  

And now you can add a whole new chapter: How could the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga., hire a friend with no major prosecutorial experience to handle one of the strongest cases against Donald Trump — thus putting the entire case in jeopardy? That question surfaced last week when Mike Roman, one of those charged along with Trump for election fraud in Georgia, accused DA Fani Willis of improperly hiring a romantic partner, Nathan Wade, as special prosecutor for the Trump case and financially benefiting from his appointment through luxury vacations they’ve taken together on his dime. Roman has filed papers demanding that the entire prosecution team be disqualified and the case against him and Trump be dismissed.  

OK, let’s start with the facts. Do Willis and Wade have a romantic relationship? We don’t know for sure, but neither has denied it. They’re longtime friends and they have taken trips together. To which the only response should be: So, what? Even if they are lovers, that’s not against the law. The real question is: What did Donald Trump and his supporters do to overturn results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, not what did Fani Willis and Nathan Wade do on their Caribbean vacation.   

Unfortunately, in today’s highly charged political world, it’s not that simple. Yes, Fani Willis had a right to hire whatever attorney she believed was most qualified to lead the Trump case. And yes, even though having only previously served as a municipal judge, Wade has a good record, is highly respected and seems to have done a good job managing the Trump case so far.   

But, but, but — you can’t deny that the whole deal looks bad and carries a strong odor of political and personal favoritism. Wade may be, as Willis calls him, a Georgia legal “superstar.” But if she went outside state government to hire her boyfriend as special prosecutor, it was a monumental case of bad judgment on her part.  

Even though there doesn’t appear to be anything that links her misconduct to the case against Trump, it raises serious questions of conflict of interest. And, worse yet, it gives the Trump camp more ammunition to fuel their phony claim that criminal charges against him are nothing but a political witch hunt.  

Most Americans no doubt realize what the Trump legal team is up to. Its goal is not to win any of the four cases, in which the former president faces 91 criminal charges, but to seize any excuse to delay them until Trump gets back in the White House and can pardon himself. Sadly, now, in Georgia, they’ve been given one more opportunity.   

There’s only one answer: Correct a bad decision with a good one. Nathan Wade must resign as special prosecutor. Let Georgia stop having to defend Fani Willis and Nathan Wade — and get back to prosecuting Donald Trump.  

Press hosts “The Bill Press Pod.” He is the author of “From the Left: A Life in the Crossfire.”