Blog Briefing Room

Consultant interrupts Nathan Wade interview when he’s pressed about relationship timeline

A media consultant for Nathan Wade interrupted his interview with CNN when he was pressed about his relationship timeline with Fulton County (Ga.) District Attorney Fani Willis.

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins asked Wade in an interview that aired Wednesday on “The Source” when his romantic relationship with Willis began. As Wade began answering, he seemed to be interrupted by someone whom CNN identified as his media consultant.

Wade looked off camera midanswer and said he was getting “signaled here.” His microphone was then taken off before he stood off to the side and appeared to whisper with his media consultant.

Someone could be heard in the background saying to “keep rolling.”

When he returned to his seat, Collins asked if everything was “OK” before asking the question again.


“Just to revisit the question, it was to clarify when the romantic relationship started and when it ended,” she told Wade.

“I believe that the public has, through — through the testimony and other interviews, the public has a clear snapshot that this is clearly just a distraction,” Wade responded. “It is not a relevant issue in this case. And I think that we should be focusing on more of the facts and the indictment of the case.”

Collins replied by noting that the question of his relationship could be brought before the Court of Appeals of Georgia.

The appeals court could hear arguments in October on former President Trump’s efforts to have Willis — the Democratic DA whose office indicted him on election interference charges — removed from the case due to her prior relationship with Wade, whom she appointed to the case. The appeals court froze Trump’s criminal trial proceedings last week as it takes up the appeal.

“The Georgia Court of Appeals has properly stayed all proceedings against President Trump in the trial court pending its decision on our interlocutory appeal which argues the case should be dismissed and Fulton County DA Willis should be disqualified for her misconduct,” Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead Georgia defense attorney, said in a statement at the time.

Wade resigned from his position in March, in response to a ruling from Judge Scott McAffee that said Willis could stay on the case if Wade stepped down.