ATLANTA — Debate continues Friday over Republican activities by former President Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants. Georgia election interference case Disqualifying Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and her office over Willis' alleged romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
The proceedings before Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee concludes a series of special hearings held after Michael Roman, a longtime Republican operative who was indicted alongside President Trump. Accused in January Willis and Wade had an “inappropriate” romantic relationship, which the district attorney claimed he profited financially from. Mr. Wade and Mr. Willis attended part of the hearing and sat in the prosecutor's chair.
Mr. Trump and seven others joined Mr. Roman in his effort to disqualify Mr. Willis, Mr. Wade and her office from prosecuting the extortion case. They are asking for the charges to be dismissed.
“If this court allows this type of conduct to continue, and if it allows prosecutors in the state to engage in this type of activity at its behest, then public confidence in the system as a whole will be eroded and the integrity of the system will be undermined. John Merchant, the defense attorney who represents Roman, said.
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Roman claimed that the relationship between Wade and Willis began before Wade hired him as a special prosecutor in the case against Trump in early November 2021. Approved by submission to court He said they had a personal relationship, but it started in 2022.
Willis and Wade testified during the evidentiary hearing Last month, the pair revealed personal details about their relationship, finances and trips to Napa Valley, Belize, Aruba and more. During several hours on the witness stand, Ms. Willis vigorously defended herself against accusations that she had acted inappropriately and profited financially from Ms. Wade's employment.
The defense argued that Wade paid for hotel rooms, cruises and vacations, but both prosecutors said they split expenses related to the trips and that Willis often reimbursed Wade in cash. Prosecutors on Tuesday submitted an affidavit from Stan Brody, who worked at a winery in Napa, to prove that Willis typically used cash to cover his expenses. She and Wade visited last year.. Brody claimed Willis paid him $400 in cash for two bottles of wine and a tasting.
The district attorney had accused Roman's attorney, Ashley Merchant, of lying and spreading “salacious” rumors.
“You've been intruding into people's private lives,” Willis said in testimony on Feb. 16. “You're confused. You think I'm on trial. People are on trial for trying to steal the 2020 election. I'm not on trial, no matter how much you try to put me on trial.”
Friday public hearing
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Attorneys representing Mr. Trump and his co-defendants were given 90 minutes to present arguments on why Mr. Willis and Mr. Wade should be disqualified. Prosecutors will also spend a similar amount of time making arguments.
In his presentation, John Merchant accused Willis of violating the Code of Professional Conduct and gaining financial advantage in the case, saying she had “set up a prosecutorial relationship with her boyfriend of two years.” “This gave an unfair impression.” To testify. ”
Mr. Wade and Mr. Willis testified that they split expenses related to the trip, but Mr. Merchant said Mr. Willis received an unexplained profit of about $9,200. He accused the district attorney of “intentionally” creating a scheme to benefit Wade.
“She put her boyfriend on the spot, paid him, and they reaped the benefits,” Merchant said. “She created a system, but she didn't tell anyone about it.”
He said the relationship between Wade and Willis began in 2019, about two years before he was appointed special counsel, and that if McAfee found that Wade's hiring was inappropriate, he would work with Trump. He said it would undermine the charges against the defendants.
Mr. Trump's attorney, Steve Sadow, and another defense attorney, Craig Gillen, both spoke during Mr. Willis' speech at Big Bethel AME Church in January, shortly after the alleged affair with Mr. Wade became public. , accused Mr. Willis of engaging in misconduct. Willis did not mention Wade by name, but he defended his qualifications and suggested racism was behind his claims.
Guillen and Sadow said the speech was intended to prejudice potential jurors against the defendant.
“She chose to plant race in the minds of her audience, and virtually everyone in this community and literally everyone in this country methodically reviewed and analyzed her speech,” Gillen said.
Citing Wade's cell phone records obtained by the defense, defense attorney Richard Rice suggested the two had been in extensive contact throughout 2021.
“I don't even think lovelorn teens communicate that much,” he says.
Rice also told McAfee that the two are “having some difficulty expressing the truth about their relationship and this incident.” She claimed that Mr. Wade lied on the documents he filed in her divorce proceedings. He accused Willis of falsely certifying on ethics documents that he had not accepted gifts of more than $100.
“It's hard to imagine that she could somehow forget all these trips, all these dinners, all those day trips,” Rice said.
Harry McDougald, who represents former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark, argued that Willis and Wade have made the Fulton County District Attorney's Office “a worldwide laughing stock for their actions.” .
relationship timeline
The timeline surrounding Willis and Wade's relationship has emerged as a key issue in efforts to remove the district attorney and her office from the case. Robin Yearty, a longtime friend of Mr Willis, claimed his relationship with Mr Wade pre-dates his appointment on November 1, 2021. Mr. Ierty testified that he witnessed the couple showing affection towards each other.
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The defense also asked Terrence Bradley, Wade's former law partner and divorce attorney, about his interactions with Wade and the texts Merchant exchanged about the relationship between the two prosecutors before filing the motion exposing private dealings. I asked about the message.
After asserting attorney-client privilege, testify twice Last month, Bradley was called back to the stand for a second hearing Wednesday. He said he was “assuming” when he messaged Merchant that the relationship between Mr Wade and Mr Willis began before Mr Wade's employment. Bradley reiterated that he had no direct knowledge of when it began.
Prosecutors sought to discredit Mr. Bradley and Mr. Ierty. They revealed during an evidentiary hearing last month that Bradley left the company he shared with Wade following the sexual assault accusations. Bradley has forcefully denied the allegations, saying earlier this week that he hasn't spoken to Wade in over a year.
Lawyers for the district attorney's office also said Mr. Ierty was told he could resign or be fired and resigned under poor terms. Willis testified last month that she had not spoken to Ierty in more than a year and that she had “betrayed” their friendship.
It is unclear when Mr. McAfee will make a decision on whether to exclude Mr. Willis and his office from matters involving Mr. Trump, but the controversy over his romantic relationship with Mr. Wade has cast a shadow over prosecutors, with several lawsuits pending. It's been off the rails for weeks. President Trump and his allies are accused of trying to overturn the results of Georgia's 2020 presidential election.Several original co-defendant have was taken petition Deals, Meanwhile, the remaining defendants have everything pleaded not guilty.
In the run-up to Friday's hearing, a dispute over evidence that both sides were willing to admit dragged on. The defense wants McAfee to admit into evidence Wade's cell phone data showing that he stayed at least 30 times in 2021 near the condo he was renting from Yearty in Hapeville, south of Atlanta. It is claimed that this shows that. He reportedly gave testimony regarding Mr. Wade's location data. Phone calls showed him being near Willis' apartment late at night and early in the morning during the months leading up to his appointment as special prosecutor.
Prosecutors also said Mr. Brody, who worked at a Napa winery visited by Mr. Wade and Mr. Willis, could testify Friday if the court declines to accept the affidavit.
Mr. McAfee said at the beginning of the hearing that he was prepared to hear legal arguments on what prosecutors and defense attorneys had already presented, and that he might be able to make a decision without cell phone records or Mr. Brody's testimony. Stated. The judge did not rule out further proceedings to admit additional information.
