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The Georgia election destruction case against Donald Trump and 14 of his allies took a surprising turn Thursday, with two top prosecutors testifying under oath about their romantic relationships during a hearing, sparking allegations of self-dealing that could derail the prosecution. showed.
The daylong hearing escalated steadily throughout the day, culminating with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis taking the witness stand and scuffling with defense attorneys, prompting several reprimands from the judge.
Judge Scott McAfee called the hearing after some of Trump's co-defendants came forward with allegations of an affair between Willis and Nathan Wade. Nathan Wade was hired to join the prosecution team in 2021. Mr. Trump and his co-defendants want a judge to bar Mr. Willis' team from the case or dismiss the charges, citing a potential conflict of interest.
There's talk of cash exchanges from Willis to Wade, where he keeps his money at home, his use of CashApp, his spending habits, and more, all based on whether Willis benefited financially by having him on staff. This was to get to the problem.
The hearing continues Friday with Willis still on the stand. The judge said he did not plan to issue a ruling Friday.
Here are some takeaways from the sometimes surprising, awkward, and deeply personal hearing.
Willis' rebellious afternoon in the stands
What happened Thursday is highly unusual in American courts. The district attorney who prosecuted Trump on racketeering charges has vowed to defend her ethics and answer her personal questions about her relationship with Wade.
The stakes couldn't be higher, and Willis' credibility is at stake.
01:33 – Source: CNN
Erin Burnett on Fanny Willis testimony: She broke into the Trump campaign
Things quickly went off the rails. Willis acted less like a traditional witness and more like a prosecutor, debating with the defense, raising objections, making legal arguments, and even consulting with the judge. She even raised her voice at one point.
This led to several scoldings from McAfee, who urged her and other lawyers in court to maintain “professionalism” and “not talk to each other.”
Before and after the judge's recommendation, Willis repeatedly accused some defense attorneys of spreading lies.
“You lied on this. … I think you lied here,” Willis said to attorney Ashley Merchant, pointing to a copy of the filing that raised accusations of self-dealing and nepotism. I inserted it.
Willis had several chances to defend himself.
The district attorney had been fighting efforts to have Ms. Wade appear in court, both in the ongoing divorce case and at Thursday's hearing, right before she took the stand. She said at the beginning of her testimony that she was “very nervous” about defending herself, “so I ran to court”.
“You think I'm on trial,” Willis said in the sharpest rebuttal of the day. “These people are on trial for trying to steal the 2020 election,” she added, pointing to a table of lawyers representing defendants in criminal cases. “No matter how much you try to put me on trial, I won't be on trial.”
She later accused her lawyers of being “disorganized” and “intrusive.”
“MS. Merchant interests are against democracy, not mine,” Willis said, accusing him of leading role in a multi-state “fake elector” plot to overthrow the Electoral College. Trump attacked Trump campaign lawyer Michael Roman, who is accused of acting in a similar manner.
01:33 – Source: CNN
Erin Burnett on Fanny Willis testimony: She broke into the Trump campaign
On the stand, Wade stood by his previous claims in an affidavit filed in court that his relationship with Willis began in early 2022 and that they split the cost of travel and vacations.
But Willis' former friend and Fulton County employee Robin Bryant Yearty disputed that claim, testifying that there was “no question” that Willis and Wade's affair began in late 2019. . Notably, that was before Mr. Willis hired Mr. Wade to lead. An investigation into President Trump will begin at the end of 2021.
Ms Bryant-Yerty said she observed “hugs, kisses and intimate affection” between Willis and Wade before 2022, when they claimed their romantic relationship began. She also testified that Willis told her in 2020 and 2021 that he was dating Wade.
There was a Clintonian parsing of words as to whether Wade had betrayed his ex-wife by being with Willis. Her past filings from Roman's team obscenely noted that she had dated “married men.”
Wade testified that his previous marriage had broken down in 2015, long before his relationship with Willis began, and that in 2015, “My marriage was irretrievably broken down,” and “I… I was able to fall in love freely.”
Mr. Wade and Mr. Willis explained that they used cash for redemption.
Mr. Wade and Mr. Willis provided a brief explanation as to why there was essentially no paper evidence to support his claim that he had split costs. That's because Mr. Willis used cash.
According to credit card statements submitted in Wade's divorce proceedings, he paid for two flights to San Francisco and Miami in recent years. They also took luxury trips to Belize, the Bahamas, and Caribbean cruises.
Asked if he paid for Willis' travel when they went on vacation together, Wade said Willis paid for the plane tickets “in cash.” Wade said he did not have receipts for all of Willis' travel reimbursements, refuting the defense's claim that Willis was essentially receiving kickbacks in the form of vacation time.
“I don't keep any cash in my account,” Wade said, sometimes laughing.
Craig Gillen, a defense attorney representing one of the fake voters, grilled Wade on what to do with cash refunds. In at least one case, it was several thousand dollars.
“You don't have any deposit slips to support or corroborate your claim that you were paid in cash by Mr. Willis?” Gillen shot back, his voice slightly raised.
“No, sir,” Wade said, to which Gillen replied, “Aren't there any lonely people?”
“No way,” Wade replied.
Willis: “I don't need anyone to pay me.”
There was also controversy over when the relationship ended and whether it influenced the decision to seek major RICO indictments against Trump and others last August.
Both said the relationship ended in the summer of 2023. Willis hinted that the physical part was over at the beginning of the summer, but then said they had “tough talks” to end it for good.
President Trump's lawyer, Stephen Sadow, asked Willis about the breakup, eliciting answers that revealed that Wade had allegedly made sexist comments to Willis in the past. She said: “He's used to women, as he once told me, 'The only thing a woman can do for him is make him a sandwich.'” , explained that this was part of the breakup, but it was also another cause. It was her defense against the allegations of self-dealing against her.
“We'll have brutal arguments about the fact that 'I'm your equal,'” Willis said. “I don't need anything from a man. A man is not a plan. A man is a companion. So there was always some tension in our relationship, so I'm going to give him the money back.”
Willis added: “I don't need anyone to pay me.”
Sadow previously asked Wade in his own testimony if the two had had a “personal relationship” since their relationship ended, saying: “You know what that means.” Stated.
Wade shot back, asking if Sadow meant “if he had sex with the district attorney.”
“We are very good friends and this attack has probably brought us closer than ever,” Wade said. “But if you ask me about sexual intercourse specifically, the answer is no.”
Nothing that happened Thursday reversed the de facto allegations against Trump, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows or other Republican allies who are accused of trying to overturn the 2020 election.
But during the hearing, the conversation shifted away from those allegations and, for the time being, from President Trump's legal problems.
Earlier in the day, a New York judge set a March 25 date for Trump's historic first trial in the hush money criminal case. But in the afternoon, the news was held in Atlanta, largely forgotten by the startling testimony that took place, and was broadcast across the country on national television. (Unlike the New York case, cameras are allowed in Georgia courtrooms.)
Mr. Willis will return to the stand for cross-examination on Friday, but Mr. Trump's benefits may not last long. On Friday, another New York judge is scheduled to rule on a civil fraud case that poses an existential threat to Trump's business.
A judge fined Trump $370 million after state prosecutors found that Trump and his companies lied about their net worth and assets and committed serious fraud against banks and insurance companies. I'm asking you to impose. They also want to ban President Trump from doing business in New York.
CNN's Zachary Cohen, Jason Morris, Nick Valencia, Hanna Rabinowitz, Maxim Tamset, Shirin Fakiri, Jim Rogers, Sarah Davis, Eva Roitberg and Fabiana Chaparro contributed to this report.
