In a recent development surrounding the indictment of former President Donald Trump in Georgia, the Fulton County District Attorney's Office has acknowledged a "data entry error" in the recording of payments made to her former boyfriend, Nathan Wade. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges against him, has claimed that the case is politically motivated due to his position as the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination.

The revelation came to light when Ashleigh Merchant, attorney for Trump's co-defendant Michael Roman, stated in court documents that Wade's initial three months of work as a special prosecutor were allegedly paid from the district attorney's seized property fund. However, a spokesperson for the Fulton County government refuted this claim, stating that it was "demonstrably false."

Nevertheless, Newsweek provided evidence contradicting the spokesperson's statement. Entries from the district attorney's expense account showcased payments made to Wade from the seized property account in July, August, and September 2020, all exceeding $30,000. The spokesperson admitted that these entries were made in error.

The issue highlights a need for transparency, as it is deemed inappropriate for payments to lawyers to be sourced from confiscated property accounts. Ideally, such payments should come from general or legal funds. The spokesperson reiterated that the data entry error occurred in the database maintained by the Fulton County government, rather than the District Attorney's office.

Court documents and testimony given to the Georgia Senate Special Investigations Committee by Ashleigh Merchant indicated that Fulton County's records did, in fact, showcase payments made to Wade from the confiscated property account. Confiscated property held by the Fulton County DA's office includes a significant amount of assets, such as $150,000 in cash and $1 million worth of jewelry seized from rapper Young Thug during his arrest in May 2022 on organized crime charges.

In response to the acknowledgment of the clerical error, the spokesperson included an email from Willis's chief operating officer, who stated that the expenses document prepared by the Fulton County government incorrectly indicated that certain invoices were paid out of a forfeiture account. Supporting evidence in the form of three memos demonstrated that the payments were sourced from the general account rather than the confiscated property fund. The chief operating officer offered multiple reasons why the money would not have come from the forfeiture account, including restrictions on the use of the confiscated funds and the inability to make payments exceeding $30,000 per month to a lawyer.

The relationship between Fani Willis and Nathan Wade has emerged as a point of contention, with allegations made by Ashleigh Merchant that they were involved romantically and benefitted financially from taxpayer money. The timeline of their relationship is crucial, and Trump's legal team examined phone records suggesting that their relationship began prior to the Georgia election fraud case.

Invoices disclosed by Willis's office revealed that Wade earned a total of $653,881 for his involvement in the case from November 1, 2021, to December 31, 2023. Wade's monthly invoices increased to over $30,000 in 2022 and have remained at that level for the most part. Recent invoices acquired through an open records request by Roman's defense team showed that in July 2023, Willis paid Wade $35,250 at a rate of $250 per hour. The invoice included a breakdown of hours spent on various tasks such as team meetings, drafting, argument preparation, and out-of-state travel.

As the case unfolds, the admission of the data entry error adds another layer of scrutiny to the proceedings. It remains to be seen how this revelation will impact the legal proceedings and the public perception surrounding the case.