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
Willis does not take stand on Day 2 of hearing
After a dramatic and heated Day 1, DA Fani Willis is not taking the stand for Day 2 of the hearing.
The state told the court they have no further questions for the district attorney.
Multiple attorneys for defendants in the case, including Trump's attorney Steve Sadow and Michael Roman's attorney Ashleigh Merchant, are in the courtroom, but Willis is not present.
Judge Scott McAfee said his goal is to finish up the evidentiary hearing today.
Court adjourns, Willis will be back on stand Friday
DA Fani Willis stepped off the stand for the day following more than two hours of highly charged testimony.
The DA is scheduled to be back on the stand tomorrow morning for the hearing's second day.
Judge McAfee reviewed other motions for Day 2, then adjourned the hearing until Friday.
Willis did not respond to questions from ABC News after leaving the courtroom.
Willis questioned by lawyers for other co-defendants
After Trump attorney Steve Sadow wrapped up his questioning of DA Fani Willis, the attorneys for other co-defendants got their chance -- but the judge appeared to grow frustrated as defense attorneys attempted to find new lines of questioning.
Allyn Stockton, representing co-defendant Rudy Giuliani, asked Willis about contracts given to Wade's law partners.
"Did Wade's law partners, Bradley and Campbell, also get contracts with the DA's office?" Stockton asked.
"Yes but only for a short time after I first became DA. Then I let them go when my office was properly staffed," she replied.
Harry MacDougald, representing co-defendant Jeffrey Clark, briefly questioned Willis about her financial disclosure form before the judge told him to sit down.
"I don't believe she answered that question, Your Honor," MacDougald said.
"She answered as to specific individual gifts," Judge McAfee, appearing more frustrated, responded. "And you're not listening to my answer either. So we're done."
Willis says she didn't consider relationship romantic before hiring
Pressed further by Trump attorney Steve Sadow, DA Fani Willis testified regarding prosecutor Nathan Wade that she did "not consider our relationship to have become romantic until 2022."
"I don't consider my relationship to be romantic with him before that," she said of Wade's hiring.
Sadow suggested that Wade and Willis have not been truthful about the timing.
When he asked Willis who she told about the relationship, Sadow suggested her "failure" to notify other members of team suggests that the relationship "was not as its been characterized to the court" and "that it started earlier than what they say."
Willis said her and Wade were friends since at least 2020.
"I want to be clear, because my credibility is being evaluated," she said.
Wade testifies Willis often paid him back for their travels
Addressing allegations that he paid for DA Fani Willis' travel when the two of them traveled together, prosecutor Nathan Wade testified that Willis often paid him back in cash or spent money on him in other ways so that expenses roughly "balanced out," insisting that Willis "carries her own weight."
"All of the vacations she took, she paid you cash?" defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked.
"Yes ma'am," Wade said.
The defense has accused Willis of improperly benefiting financially from the relationship, by paying Wade a salary that was then used to pay for their travels together.
Speaking more broadly, Wade insisted that throughout their entire relationship, Willis paid her own way, painting it as character trait of hers.
"If you've ever spent any time with Mrs. Willis you understand she's a very independent proud woman, so she's going to insist that she carries her own weight," he testified.
"It actually was a point of contention between the two of us," Wade said. "She was going to pay her own way."
Wade went through the various trips booked on his credit card, one by one, including trips to Napa Valley and Belize. In one instance, Wade testified it was actually Willis who paid for the "entire trip" -- despite the fact that it was on his credit card.
On the Napa trip, Wade testified that Willis paid for the excursions, "so the expenses sort of balances out." He said it was like any relationship: "In a relationship, you don't -- particularly men -- you don't go asking back," Wade said. "You're not keeping a ledger."