Ousted Trump prosecutor Nathan Wade attended “RICO school” before leading a racketeering case against the former president

Donald Trump's former prosecutor Nathan Wade admitted to lawmakers last week that he was required to take a course on racketeering law before taking the lead in the former president's election fraud trial in Georgia.

Wade, who was fired from the case in March because of an affair with his boss, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, said during questioning by the House Judiciary Committee on Oct. 15 that he had never worked in a prosecutor's office before and has never worked on an extortion case, according to a transcript released Monday.

“I went to … what I would call 'RICO school' to learn what it is, what it means and how it works,” Wade said during testimony. “It's a very complicated legal concept, but the gentleman who wrote the book, who is referred to as the 'Godfather of RICO'… spent hours teaching me about RICO, if you will.”

“He taught a RICO course and I took the course,” Wade continued.

The federal RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) was introduced in 1970 and later adopted by certain states such as Georgia to prosecute organized crime.

Trump and 14 co-defendants face trial for allegedly carrying out a criminal enterprise aimed at overturning the results of Georgia's 2020 presidential election after Joe Biden became only the second Democrat in 40 years to win the state.

When Wade was asked if he had done anything besides taking the RICO course to prepare for his new position, he replied, “I don't know that there is anything greater than sitting at the foot of the person who wrote the book about it. “Legal concept.”

Willis, 52, was accused by Trump and his co-defendants of wrongdoing in appointing Wade to the case, despite his lack of experience and the conflict of interest caused by their romance.

The two lawyers said they only met after Willis appointed Wade to the lucrative and high-profile post. But the judge overseeing the criminal case against the Republican presidential candidate said Willis could stay on the case only if Wade resigned – which he did in March.

A trial date has not yet been set as Trump and his co-defendants appeal Judge Scott McAfee's ruling allowing Willis to continue working on the case.

Wade also dodged answering many questions last week by claiming he couldn't remember basic details of his job.

At least 58 times during his testimony, Wade said he could not “remember” or “know” key details of documented interactions with Biden White House officials and members of the House special committee investigating the January 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection not this one.”

The special prosecutor billed Willis for his fee of $250 an hour for a meeting with a member of the White House counsel's office in May 2022, according to an invoice obtained by the Judiciary panel.

“If there had been a conference with the White House counsel, would it have taken place on or before May 23, 2022?” Wade was asked at one point, to which he replied, “Yes.”

“Do you remember who your contact was in the White House counsel’s office?” asked a Judiciary Committee official.

“I don’t,” Wade replied.

“Do you remember who attended that conference with the White House counsel?” the aide asked.

“I don’t remember,” Wade said.

“Is it safe to assume that you attended this conference with the White House counsel since you billed for the conference with the White House counsel?” the aide also asked.

“Yes,” Wade confirmed.

In November 2022, Wade also had an “interview” with someone from the White House, although it is unclear whether that meeting or the one in May took place in person.

Wade maintains that he never visited the executive mansion in his capacity as special prosecutor – but acknowledged that some witness interviews for the case were conducted in Washington, D.C., without revealing further details.

Wade also testified that he never had conversations with members of the Biden Justice Department — including special counsel Jack Smith, who led both federal prosecutions against Trump for attempting to overturn the 2020 election and misusing classified documents.

He also did not discuss discussions with the House Select Committee in April 2022, which charged a whopping $6,000 for 24 hours of total work.

Asked whether he had held a Zoom conference with Trump prosecutors in other jurisdictions, Wade also demurred.

“No one in the White House, the White House Counsel's Office, the Justice Department or the January 6th Committee directed, ordered, asked, coerced or pressured me or any member of my investigative team to pursue or not pursue criminal charges against anyone,” said Wade in his opening statement.

“To your knowledge, has District Attorney Willis ever met or communicated with anyone associated with the Biden White House?” a law enforcement official questioned near the end of the statement.

“I have no idea what she did,” Wade said.

Wade's attorney, Andrew Evans, noted Monday that the man who taught his client about RICO law was also appointed to assist in Trump prosecutions.

“Wade was the lead attorney who led a team of prosecutors and investigators while the evidence was evaluated and the indictment was drafted,” Evans said in a statement. “One of those prosecutors was John Floyd, one of the top RICO experts in the United States. Floyd was assigned as a special assistant district attorney to review the RICO evidence and charges as part of the investigation.”

“Although Jim Jordan (Judiciary Committee Chairman) attempted to use a quote taken out of context to score political points, the evidence uncovered by the investigation and the resulting charges speak for themselves.”