Fani Willis Grilled on Office Finances and Nathan Wade Payments

Office Financial Controls

• 💡 Fani Willis stated she has never had or will have a credit card associated with her office to prevent accusations of financial impropriety.
• 🎯 Procedures were established to require clearance from the Fulton County CFO, Sharon Whitmore, for her office's financial transactions.
• 🔑 Willis indicated that while she controls her budget, she understood the need for oversight due to her identity as an African-American woman.

Funding Sources and Allocation

• 💰 The district attorney's office receives funds from the county and state, with state employees sometimes receiving direct payment from the state and an additional check from the county.
• 🔬 The Saki (Sexual Assault Kit Initiative) unit operates with grant money from the federal government, which is used to test thousands of backlogged rape kits.
• 🧩 Some attorneys in the Saki and Crimes Against Children units are paid from grant funds, while others are paid from the general fund.

Forfeiture Funds and Vendor Payments

• ⚠️ Willis stated she does not touch forfeiture money without approval and consults with office lawyers and PAC regarding its use.
• ❓ She was unaware if any forfeiture funds were used to pay Nathan Wade, stating that invoices would have been submitted to the county for payment.
• 🧐 A court payment voucher was presented showing a payment made to the Law Office of Nathan Wade from the forfeiture fund account (fund 440) and the county general fund (fund 100).
• 🤷 Willis stated it was her understanding that Mr. Wade was paid out of her office's professional services budget and claimed ignorance about the specific accounting process for determining fund allocation for invoices.