A former friend of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified Thursday that Willis began a “romantic” relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade in 2019, three years before Willis and Wade claimed they started seeing each other.
During the misconduct hearing for Willis in the Georgia Trump case, Robin Yeartie said the relationship began shortly after the two met at a municipal court conference in October 2019. Judge Scott McAfee is determining whether their relationship constitutes a conflict of interest and grounds for dismissal.
After 24 years of marriage, Wade and his former wife Joycelyn Wade separated on Aug. 15, 2021, with Nathan filing for divorce on Nov. 2, 2021.
“You have no doubt that their romantic relationship was in effect from 2019 until the last time you spoke with her?” defense lawyer Ashleigh Merchant asked.
“No doubt,” Yeartie replied.
Yeartie testified that she last spoke with Willis in March 2022, after leaving the Fulton County district attorney’s office due to a “situation” in which she was told she could resign or be fired. The incident ended her friendship with Willis, she said.
Willis and Wade have both alleged in court filings that their relationship began in 2022 after Willis hired him to investigate Trump.
If Willis is found to have lied to the court, she and her office will likely be disqualified from the case, law experts say.
Trump’s attorneys say that Willis has benefited from Wade’s employment.
Willis and Wade have since vacationed to Aruba and Belize, plus took two cruises to the Bahamas, which Wade paid for, defense attorneys said in court filings.
The district attorney’s office has strongly refuted those allegations, indicating the pair divides their personal travel expenses “rather evenly” and do not have shared finances.
“To be absolutely clear, the personal relationship between Special Prosecutor Wade and District Attorney Willis has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit to District Attorney Willis,” prosecutors wrote in a filing earlier this month.
In testimony Thursday, Wade said that he paid for the lavish vacations while working for Willis using his business credit card, and Willis reimbursed him in cash.
A visibly angry Fani Willis repeatedly lashed out at the lawyers questioning her, and called their allegations “lies.”
“If I were counsel, I would not be thrilled by Willis demeanor,” said George Washington University Professor Jonathan Turley on X. “Anger is not an asset in testimony and Willis look like she was red hot when she suddenly appeared.”
“Most judges would have lost their patience by now. Willis has received a great deal of slack and most witnesses would not receive the courtesy of a break and side bar,” Turley added.
Finally, the Judge issued a warning to Willis that he would strike her testimony if she continued to filibuster.
At one point, Willis appeared to admit she embezzled campaign funds.
via magatribute