Fulton County hearing: Trump case hangs in balance as judge mulls DA disqualification

Trump attorney Steve Sadow accused prosecutor Nathan Wade of perjury on the witness stand, related to when his relationship began with DA Fani Willis.

"Mr. Wade committed perjury on the witness stand," Sadow said standing in court, continuing his argument for why Terrence Bradley's testimony regarding his texts and knowledge of Wade and Fani Willis' relationship.

Bradley has testified that he did not have personal knowledge of the relationship between Wade and Willis. But the defense is arguing the texts would show otherwise.

"A lawyer shall not knowingly failed to disclose and material fact to a tribunal. When disclosure is necessary to avoid assisting a criminal or fraudulent act," Sadow said.

Judge Scott McAfee rejected the defense’s insistence that Terrence Bradley be forced to testify about communications he had with Nathan Wade.

“I don’t think the crime fraud exception covers this,” he said, referring to the legal statute defense lawyers were pushing to force Bradley to disclose his conversations with Wade.

“It does not appear that there’s any evidence that the client ever waived [his attorney-client privilege] and allowed that information to be conveyed to you,” he added later, addressing Mike Roman’s lawyer Ashleigh Merchant.

After a long back and forth, Terrence Bradley testified that he does not have any personal knowledge of when DA Fani Willis and prosecutor Nathan Wade began their romantic relationship.

“Any knowledge of Nathan Wade and Fani Willis's romantic relationship beginning while they were both serving as judges– is any knowledge that you have from your own personal knowledge or something that was told to you in furtherance of legal advice?” asked attorney Ashleigh Merchant.

“I have no personal knowledge of when it actually happened,” Bradley replied.

The state is forcefully working to block testimony from Nathan Wade's law partner Terrence Bradley regarding text exchanges he had with defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant in September 2023.

The judge is so far allowing the defense to continue with its questioning of the texts.

At one point, Merchant handed her phone to the state to look at the texts after the state claimed they weren't sure if the texts were being presented in full.

"These exchanges are just two lawyers gossiping about information," the state said, while holding Merchant's phone. "And I'm concerned about it coming into the record in this way.”

The state told the court that they object to the defense even asking questions about the texts because if they were read it would be "inflammatory."