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

The defense wants to disqualify DA Fani Willis in Trump's Georgia election case.

Following three days of testimony plus closing arguments, Scott McAfee, the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's Georgia election interference case, is weighing motions to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, primarily over accusations from Trump co-defendant Michael Roman that she benefited financially from a "personal, romantic relationship" with prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she hired for the case.

Willis and Wade, in a court filing, admitted to the relationship but said it "does not amount to a disqualifying conflict of interest" and that the relationship "has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit to District Attorney Willis."


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Willis' use of cash a 'Black thing,' father testifies

DA Fani Willis on Thursday repeatedly testified that when prosecutor Nathan Wade booked their travel or paid for meals, she would repay him with large amounts of cash -- an arrangement that appeared to draw skepticism from defense counsel.

On the stand today, Willis’ father, John Floyd, explained his daughter’s use of cash as “a Black thing.”

“I was trained -- and most black folks -- they hide cash, or they keep cash,” Floyd said. “I’ve told my daughter: 'You keep six months’ worth of cash -- always.”

“And as a matter of fact, I gave my daughter her first cash box and told her always keep some cash,” he testified.


Willis' father testifies he didn't meet Wade until 2023

DA Fani Willis' father, John Floyd, testified that he did not meet prosecutor Nathan Wade until 2023.

"Did you ever meet Mr. Wade in the year 2019?" Michael Roman's attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked Floyd.

"Absolutely not," Floyd replied.

"You ever seen Mr. Wade at Miss Willis [at the] Fulton County house in the year 2021?" Merchant asked.

"Never," Floyd said.


Willis' father describes 'nightmare threats against her and me'

Fani Willis' father, John Floyd, described in detail the extent of the threats and abuse his daughter faced as her investigation into the former president ramped up, which eventually prompted her to leave her home.

"There have been so many death threats," he said. "And they said they were going to blow up the house, they were going to kill her, they were going to kill me, they were going to kill my grandchildren -- I mean, on and on and on."

Floyd said he lived with his daughter around the time, and that at one point the police sent an officer with a dog to sniff for bombs multiple times each day.

"Did you fear for her safety?" a state attorney asked.

"Absolutely," Floyd replied.

Floyd said that after Willis left the home, he lived there himself until December of 2022 -- when he said the "nightmare threats made against her and me" made the home "uninhabitable."

"I would have to walk around that house looking out of every window" to ensure no intruders were approaching the home, Floyd said.


Ex-governor turned down role before it was offered to Wade

Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes testified that early in DA Fani Willis' election interference probe, he was asked by Willis about taking the special prosecutor role in the investigation, but that he turned it down.

The former governor initially said he didn't remember the day when that meeting occurred.

But after stepping off the stand, about 10 minutes later Barnes walked back into the courtroom with his phone in his hand and calendar app pulled up, to tell the court the date he had found.

He said that the meeting where he turned down the special prosecutor position was on Oct 26, 2021 -- which would have been a few days before Nathan Wade was contracted for the position on Nov. 1, 2021.


Trump co-defendant says witness can dispute timeline testimony

In a court filing Monday, one of Donald Trump's co-defendants proposed new testimony if Judge Scott McAfee were to reopen the evidentiary process in the defendants' effort to disqualify DA Fani Willis, claiming he has a new witness who previously spoke to prosecutor Nathan Wade's former attorney, Terrance Bradley, and will back up claims that he has knowledge to dispute what Willis and Wade say is the timeline of their relationship.

According to the filing from Trump co-defendant David Shafer, Cindi Yeager -- the co-chief deputy district attorney in Cobb County, Georgia -- had "numerous" conversations with Bradley related to Willis and Wade, in which Bradley told her their relationship began before Wade was hired on the election interference case.

"Mr. Wade had definitely begun a romantic relationship with Ms. Willis during the time that Ms. Willis was running for District Attorney in 2019 though 2020," the filing alleged Bradley told Yeager during conversations that occurred between August 2023 and January 2024.

The testimony would allegedly refute what Bradley -- who was supposed to be the defense's "star witness" -- said on the stand at the hearing: that he had "no personal knowledge" of the timing of Willis and Wade's relationship and that he was "speculating" when he said their relationship started around 2019.

The filing also claims Bradley was in Yeager's office in September 2023 when he received a phone call that Yeager "could hear" was Fani Willis allegedly "calling Mr. Bradley in response to an article that was published about how much money Mr. Wade and his law partners had been paid in this case."

"Ms. Yeager heard District Attorney Willis tell Mr. Bradley: "They are coming after us. You don't need to talk to them about anything about us," the filing says.

The filing seeks permission to subpoena Yeager and present her testimony, if the judge were to reopen the evidentiary process.