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."
Top headlines:
- Defense says Willis committed 'unforgivable' misconduct
- Hearing concludes, judge says ruling expected within 2 weeks
- Judge presses DA's office: 'Money has changed hands'
- Bradley says he does 'not have the date' when relationship started
- Trump attorney accuses Nathan Wade of perjury
- Willis says she didn't consider relationship romantic before hiring
Wade testifies he's 'not recalling' traveling with Willis in 2021
Special prosecutor Nathan Wade, asked if he traveled with DA Fani Willis around the time prior to the Trump election interference case being launched, stated that he's "not recalling" that after being pushed to answer "yes" or "no."
When asked by the defense if he traveled with Willis in 2023 or 2022, Wade said he did -- but he gave a different answer when asked about 2021.
"Did you travel with her in 2021?" defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked.
"I'm not recalling any travel in 2021," Wade replied.
"It's not yes or no, you just don't remember?" Merchant pressed.
An attorney for the DA said during Merchant's questioning, "We're going pretty far field into divorce matters." But the judge let questioning continue.
Nathan Wade takes the stand
Special prosecutor Nathan Wade is now on the stand.
Fulton County prosecutors made a motion to quash the subpoena for Wade to testify, but Judge Scott McAfee rejected the motion, saying the "evidence in front of the court at the moment" is that a witness testified that the relationship predated his hiring, which contradicts their court filing.
"I don't see a way around the relevance of his testimony," said the judge.
Witness testifies Willis told her of relationship with Wade
Trump's attorney Steve Sadow drilled down into the testimony from Former DA office employee Robin Yeartie that Willis told her repeatedly that she and Wade were in a relationship before he was hired in 2021.
"Told you that in the year of 2020?" Sadow asked.
"Yes," Yeartie said.
"In the year of 2021?" Sadow asked.
"Yes," Yeartie said.
"Are you certain that Mrs. Willis told you about the romantic relationship with Mr. Wade prior to November 1 of 2021?, Sadow asked.
"Yes," Yeartie said.
Yeartie also testified she saw them "hugging, kissing, just affection."
All before he was hired?
"Yes," Yeartie said.
Former employee testifies that Willis, Wade were dating earlier
Former DA office employee Robin Yeartie testified that Fani Willis and Nathan Wade began dating prior to the Trump election interference case -- contradicting the claim in the state's court filing that the relationship started after Wade was hired.
"You know their personal relationship began shortly after" they met at a conference in October 2019, attorney Merchant asked the witness.
The witness, who said she was a old friend of Willis, replied, "Yes."
Yeartie is testifying via Zoom after she didn't appear in the courtroom.
The state is objecting to questions from the defense seemingly at every chance they can, which is significantly slowing down the proceedings. The judge has remained patient, but Michael Roman's attorney Ashleigh Merchant appears to be growing frustrated with the state's strategy.
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.