A dramatic two-day hearing on a motion to disbar Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ended inconclusive Friday.
The defense sought proof of allegations contained in a Jan. 8 complaint by Mr. Trump's co-defendant, Michael Roman, that Mr. Willis took his girlfriend, Nathan Wade, with him. , which claimed she was unfairly enriched by awarding her a lucrative contract to work on a case against former President Donald Trump. while on vacation. Despite witnesses testifying to the contrary, Willis and Wade maintain that their relationship did not begin until 2022, after the start of Wade's contract, deny that Willis received any financial benefit, and deny travel expenses. He claimed to have paid the amount in cash.
Willis' longtime friend Robin Yearty, who previously worked in the prosecutor's office, testified Thursday that their relationship began shortly after they met at a district court hearing in 2019. She said she witnessed the two hugging and kissing long before her contract with Wade began.
NEW: Robin Yearty, a close friend of Willis who previously worked in the district attorney's office, testified that the relationship between Willis and Wade began shortly after a 2019 meeting for district court judges. https://t.co/j4ML4CpuYV via @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/V2nFNkmN0q
— Katelyn Richardson (@katesrichardson) February 15, 2024
Terrence Bradley, Mr. Wade's former partner and divorce attorney, also testified Friday that he was emailed a draft of Mr. Roman's motion before it was filed, and that he told Mr. Roman's attorney, Ashley Merchant, that it was He admitted that he replied that it looked good. But he did not elaborate on what that meant, and because of attorney-client privilege, he could not directly answer questions about his relationship with Wade.
Willis' father testified that he never met Wade until 2023, and said Willis dated another person in 2019, a disc jockey named “Deuce.” But she said she didn't know about her relationship with Ms Wade until the allegations surfaced and “other people” found out. Just a few weeks ago.
“I have money at home.”
Willis' combative testimony caused the judge to request a recess and produced a number of trending lines such as “A man's not a plan” and “Where's Belize?” Which continent? “I like Gray Goose.'' Neither she nor Wade could provide any concrete evidence to support their claim that they split the costs roughly evenly.
Fulton County DA Fani Willis: Mr. Wade is used to women, but as he once told me, the only thing women could do for him was make him sandwiches. pic.twitter.com/PVkFM8y1cS
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) February 15, 2024
Mr. Wade said there was no receipt that Mr. Willis reimbursed him for the expenses, explaining that she paid him in cash. Keeping large amounts of cash in her home was a habit he learned from his father, Willis later testified, adding that the cash was not withdrawn from an ATM but came from various other sources. He added that it was a thing. include her first campaign.
“When I met my father, he would tell me that as a woman, I should always have at least six months' worth of cash in the house,” Willis said.
Lawyer: “There is no evidence of compensation'' [to Wade for vacations] Is it all cash?
Hwannie: “The testimony of one witness is enough to prove the truth. Are you saying I'm lying?”
Lawyer: “I'm asking if you have any evidence.''
Hwannie: “The proof is what I just said.” pic.twitter.com/JhD5iFaYxA
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 15, 2024
Willis' father, John Floyd, on Friday backed Willis' claim that he kept cash in his home, calling it a “black thing.” (Related article: 'I don't have one': Trump special counsel admits he only has one receipt proving Fanny Willis paid for her trip)
The only document Wade had showing that Willis paid for the costs was a receipt for a plane ticket that was attached to the state's response to Roman's complaint.
After a “derailment” on the first day of testimony, District Attorney Anna Cross chose not to return Willis to the stand Friday.
contradictory statements
Defense attorneys also questioned Wade about inconsistencies in his sworn statements.
In the divorce case, he filed for divorce in May 2023. statement He claimed that he had never entertained or had sexual relations with anyone of the opposite sex during their marriage. In an affidavit in response to Roman's allegations, he asserted that he had been in a relationship with Willis since 2022.
wade claimed To this, he responded that his marriage “irretrievably broke down in 2015”, even though he was still legally married. This question is worded to explicitly include the period of “separation” as well as the time “up to now.”
#breaking news: An absolutely brutal exchange in which, after a long series of denials lasting several minutes, Nathan Wade admits to having had a sexual relationship with Fanny Willis.
Wade previously claimed he had never had sex with anyone outside of his (broken) marriage. pic.twitter.com/6yfwtvCojH
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 15, 2024
Wade also claimed that he never used Bradley's credit card. Bradley directly disputed this during his testimony, saying he recalled “at least” one time Wade used the money to pay for a trip. (Related: Fanni Willis explains why she didn't list gifts from Wade on her financial disclosures)
Towards the end of Friday's hearing, Cross accused Mr. Bradley of lying about why he left the company where he previously worked with Mr. Wade. He initially claimed the reason was covered by attorney-client privilege, but later admitted it was due to sexual assault allegations.
“Mr. Bradley has previously testified that his reasons for leaving were entirely within privilege,” Judge Scott McAfee said. “I wonder if Mr. Bradley has been interpreting privilege properly all this time.”
next step
McAfee said he will schedule another hearing, likely next Friday. He also indicated that he would schedule a private in-camera review with Mr. Bradley to sort out the privilege claims.
Legal experts said that even if there is not enough evidence to show a conflict of interest, there may be enough evidence to show “indications of fraud.”
“If I were the Fulton County prosecutor, that's where I would be nervous,” said Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University. I have written.
“I think a jury could find beyond a reasonable doubt that Fani Willis and Nathan Wade perjured themselves at this hearing,” said Atlanta-based criminal defense attorney Andrew Fleischman. Ta. I have written “I think it is likely that a judge will find that there are signs of fraud here without making a clear finding of reliability.”
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