Tensions reached a boiling point on Thursday after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the stand in an evidentiary hearing probing the extent of her personal relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
The hearing marks a critical juncture in the Georgia election interference case against former president Donald Trump and its result could drastically change the course of the proceedings. The stakes of the misconduct case were on full display as Willis fiercely defended herself on the stand while defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant questioned her.
“You think I’m on trial,” Willis told Merchant, who is representing Michael Roman, a co-defendant facing criminal charges in the interference case led by Willis. “I am not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
Willis hired Wade in 2021 to work on the racketeering case against Trump and more than a dozen of his allies who are accused of trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. Roman, through his attorney, alleged in a motion that Wade misused taxpayer money that he was paid while on the case to fund vacations around the world for himself and Willis.
The hearing was called to determine if those allegations were indeed true and if Willis could face criminal or other penalties. Also at stake is Willis’ assignment on the case. If the judge rules in favor of Roman’s motion, Willis could be disqualified, which would potentially jeopardize the entire case.
Willis admitted earlier this month that she and Wade had a romantic relationship but firmly denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations listed in Roman’s motion “complete conjecture.”
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the election subversion case, will have to decide whether Willis and Wade financially benefited from the case.
The hearing became tense as soon as Willis took the stand.
“Did you hear any of the arguments?” Merchant asked Willis.
“I did hear the arguments this morning,” Willis said. “It’s ridiculous that you lied on Monday, and yet here we still are. And I did listen to that argument.”
While Merchant drilled Willis about the shared costs associated with her trips with Wade, Willis was adamant about addressing allegations about the relationship in legal documents and court.
“While we’re talking about professionalism, [Merchant] filed three different documents that he lived with me,” Fani yelled while waving documents.
“Let’s be clear because you’ve lied,” Willis yelled. “It is a lie! It is a lie!”
Some other key takeaways from the hearing’s first day on Thursday included witness testimony from a former friend of Willis as well as Wade’s testimony.
The witness, Robin Yeartie, who said she was Willis’ one-time friend before they fell out, testified that the relationship between Willis and Wade started before Wade was hired for the case. She said she saw them kissing and engaging romantically as early as November 2019.
However, during Wade’s testimony, he maintained that the romance didn’t start until March 2022. Court filings from Willis state the same thing, which raises questions about whether the relationship truly began before Wade’s appointment to the Trump case or afterward.
Roman’s attorneys questioned Wade about financial records that show he used his business credit card to pay for vacations for himself and Willis, but Wade stated Willis would always reimburse him using cash.
This drew the audible laughter of former GOP state chairman and another of Trump’s co-defendants, David Shafer, whom Judge McAfee scolded for the outburst.
Defense attorneys also questioned whether the relationship was an affair that started while Wade was still married.
Wade repeatedly asserted that his marriage was “irretrievably broken” and ended in 2015. He and his estranged wife, Joycelyn, settled their divorce earlier this year. He filed for divorce on Nov. 2, 2021, just one day after he was hired as a prosecutor for the election subversion case, which he called “pure coincidence” in court.
Wade also testified that his relationship with Willis ended in June 2023. He told the defense counsel that their relationship was “private” but not a “secret.”
“We’re very good friends,” Wade testified. “Probably closer than ever because of these attacks.”
Additionally, he undermined claims that he enriched himself during the Trump case by testifying that his income has “significantly” decreased since he took the case and that it has taken most of his time.
