CNN senior legal analyst Ellie Honig said Tuesday that a key witness testifying about the relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Nathan Wade lacks credibility.
The judge handling former President Donald Trump's election interference case on Tuesday ordered Terrence Bradley, a former law partner of Willis' ex-girlfriend Nathan Wade, to testify about Willis' relationship with Wade. Bradley said some of the claims he made in previous text messages about their relationship were “speculation.”
Honig said Bradley's claims that he doesn't remember certain details are “ridiculous” and he cannot be considered a reliable witness.
“Jake, I think what we just saw was two hours of ridiculous and unreliable testimony by Mr. Bradley,” Honig told CNN's Jake Tapper. “Mr. Bradley is a lawyer. He is a court official. He is testifying about a recent important event, and no matter what it is about, his response is, “I don't remember.'' ” or “It’s just speculation.” Let's understand how this person got on our radar in the first place. The defendant was asked in a written statement by his defense team, “Did the relationship between Nathan Wade and Fani Willis begin before the DA's office hired Nathan Wade?'' And his answer in writing was “absolutely.” He himself revealed details about when and how they met. ”
“He said they met at this particular CLE (Continuing Legal Education) conference, and today he said, 'Well, I was guessing.' That's ridiculous. Why? Why do you make up whole specific places where people meet, and when he was asked why, he assumed you knew what the answer was? “I don't remember.” That witness There's no way we can trust that,” Honig continued.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee appeared to take note of every instance in which Mr. Bradley said during interrogation that he did not remember or could not remember specific details about his relationship with Mr. Wade. , CNN reported. report. An attorney representing Robert Chealey, one of former President Donald Trump's co-defendants, asked Bradley if he was lying about his friend. (Related: CNN legal analyst says lawyer hired by Fani Willis engages in conduct that raises serious questions)
“Have I ever lied about a friend? Is that your question?” Bradley responded, according to CNN.
“Is that something you always do, Mr. Bradley?” asked attorney Richard Rice. “Do you ever lie about your friends?”
“Have I ever lied about a friend? I can. I don't know,” Bradley replied.
“Would you lie about a friend in a case of national importance?” I repeated.
“I don't know,” Bradley said.
CNN reported that Bradley testified that he was “speculating” when he told defense attorney Ashley Merchant when Wade and Willis started dating.
“You said their relationship began when she left the DA's office and was a judge in South Fulton. Where did you get that information?” Merchant asked.
“I was guessing, but no one told me. I was guessing,” Bradley replied.
Merchant seeks to disqualify Willis from the case, saying Wade received a higher salary than other prosecutors and benefited from expensive contracts in which he took Willis on lavish vacations. He represents Trump's co-defendant Michael Roman, who filed the motion. The Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF) first reported that Willis falsely stated in January that he paid all of the special prosecutors in the case the same hourly rate as Wade.
Wade's office has received about $654,000 from the Fulton County District Attorney's Office since the beginning of 2022. according to in county records. The office of John Floyd, considered one of Georgia's top racketeering lawyers, received just over $90,000 during the same period, according to county data.
Willis has indicted 19 defendants, including Trump and Roman, on 13 counts for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia. The defendants are charged with violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery, conspiracy to make false statements and statements, and several other charges.
