Nathan Wade reveals why the House committee couldn't find him to subpoena

A broken ankle during a basketball game is the latest twist in the mystery of why it took several days to find former Fulton County, Georgia, special prosecutor Nathan Wade and serve him with a subpoena from the House Judiciary Committee.

The Republican-led committee had tried unsuccessfully for days to subpoena Wade's testimony about his former romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Republicans on the panel questioned the objectivity of their prosecution of former President Donald Trump for attempting to illegally reverse the 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden – a crime. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution At the end of September it was reported for the first time that the summons had finally been served.

In his statement, Wade said his radio silence for several days was due to a basketball league game and a hairline fracture in his ankle that forced him to seek orthopedic care.

“Of course I took a prescription medication for the pain and swelling
my right ankle. And to this day it's – it's still swollen. So sometimes I have to lift him up to keep the swelling down,” Wade testified. “But I needed a few days to take care of my broken ankle and prepare for an upcoming mediation and arbitration proceeding.” Once I was able to manage the pain without the help of prescription painkillers and came to, I turned on my phone and prepared to work out in my gym. And as I did that, the messages started ringing.

His missed calls included a voicemail from a U.S. Marshal.

“I called this gentleman back. And at this point it's 4:00 a.m. because I get up at 4:00 a.m. to do my workout routine. He answered the phone. And I said to him, 'I seem to understand that.' I've seen reports that no one can find Nathan Wade. The marshal then said to me, “Sir, that's ridiculous that you're not trying to hide or evade service.” And I said, “What service?” And he said, “I have something here from Congress that I can share with you. I'll tell you what, I can meet you now, or we can arrange a time and a place.” And he said, “No problem.” He said, 'But that summons was for today.'”

Ultimately, the subpoena was served and Wade testified before the panel behind closed doors for four and a half hours on October 15.

During his testimony, Wade said that the case against Trump “was not politically motivated, but rather was an independent investigation based on facts, interviews, evidence and the rule of law. I had no other mission than to honestly seek the truth.”

Newsweek the Trump campaign has reached out for comment.

Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged by Willis last year with racketeering and other crimes. While at least four co-defendants have since pleaded guilty, Trump and several co-defendants have all pleaded not guilty.

Trump attributes his legal problems ahead of the 2024 election season to a politically motivated “witch hunt.”