oxygenOn the first day of a heated hearing, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her deputy, special prosecutor Nathan Wade, took the stand in hopes of ending threats to their past relationship against Donald Trump. charges in the criminal case against Trump and his presidency. Allies are trying to overturn the 2020 election.
Mike Roman, a defendant in the Trump case, is seeking to have Willis and Wade disqualified, claiming their relationship constituted a conflict of interest. His attorneys are trying to prove that Willis benefited financially from her relationship with Wade.
If Roman succeeds in getting Willis exempt from pursuing the case, it would result in the disqualification of the entire district attorney’s office.
Here are some key moments from Thursday’s hearing.
A key witness decides to remain silent
Nathan Wade’s former law partner Terrence Bradley is considered a witness in the dominoes falling as he testified that the relationship with the D.A. began earlier than the time Wade claimed in the affidavit. Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee suggested that the decision to quash the subpoenas against Wade, Willis and others hinged in part on whether Bradley’s testimony was strong enough to overcome the whole legal charade as mere fishing and distraction. Strong suspicion.
But Bradley, who served as Wade’s divorce attorney, declined to testify about the details of what he knew about the relationship between Wade and Willis, citing attorney-client privilege.
For a moment, it seemed like this was the beginning and end of the hearing.
A former friend may have given the most telling testimony – if true
Robin Bryant-Yelty, a former friend of Willis’s, testified that she knew Willis was engaged to Wade. Bryant-Yelty said they began dating in 2019, when Willis was elected district attorney and Donald Trump made the “perfect call” to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger ”, triggering the investigation.
Bryant-Yelty’s testimony directly contradicts Wade’s sworn statement in his divorce affidavit, in which Wade said he had not had sex with anyone else during their marriage. Prosecutors noted in Willis’ defense that Yelty and Willis had an argument in which Yelty left the district attorney’s office, but the testimony was enough to open the door and force Wade, and Willis later, under investigation. Stalls.
Wade was pushed into a corner, but still surprised the court with his performance
Wade’s testimony took many twists and turns, revealing more of the timeline and revealing that he suffered from cancer in 2020, limiting his time with the outside world during the pandemic. He also tried to highlight the way he and Willis said they split the bill: He paid with a credit card and she paid him back in cash.
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But the lawyers’ insistence sometimes left him no choice but to speak out.
“You’re asking me if I had a sexual relationship with the district attorney?” Wade said after attorney Steve Sadow asked him if he had any kind of personal relationship after June 2023. Wade said no, and he hasn’t had a romantic relationship since.
Fanny fights her way
Willis initially objected to testifying, but she actually overturned her attorney’s testimony Thursday afternoon. “I’m ready,” she said.
In the spotlight, Willis sought to explain and refute each accusation and refocus the message. Sometimes, she can be very cheeky. “He loves wine. I don’t really like wine, to be honest,” she said, explaining her trip to Napa Valley with Wade. “I like Gray Goose.”
At times, she called lawyers liars and tried to avoid questions and send a message to the public. “You’re confused… I’m not on trial,” she told attorney Ashley Merchant. “These people are on trial for trying to steal the 2020 election.”
