DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ ‘Knuckles’ review: Idris Elba reprises his ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ warrior in a Paramount+ series that goes nowhere fast
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Brian Lowry | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The “Sonic the Hedgehog” movies weren’t particularly good, but they had Jim Carrey and made a lot of money, so inevitably, there’s more. Lacking Carrey to help carry the load, “Knuckles,” spun out of that game-to-screen universe, isn’t just bad, but a next-level degree of bad, starting with the puzzling question of for whom this six-episode Paramount+ series was made. Despite only six half-hour episodes to complete the trek from points A to B, “Knuckles” goes nowhere fast and doesn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to get anywhere. “I do not make jokes,” Knuckles tells Wade. “Knuckles” premieres April 26 on Paramount+.

Persons: Jim Carrey, Carrey, “ Knuckles, ”, Idris Elba, Knuckles, –, Wade Whipple, Adam Pally, Wade, Rory McCann, Knuckles ”, Stockard Channing, “ Knuckles ”, “ Organizations: CNN, Paramount Locations: Reno , Nevada, Wade, detours

A gag order against one of Trump’s biggest foes could score political points and help him and his co-defendants in the short term. Then, McAfee appeared to suggest a gag order may be necessary. “I don’t know a reason to have a gag order right now,” Parker told CNN. The former president already faces a gag order in his criminal hush money case that’s headed to trial later this month in New York. And several other defendants in the Georgia case, including former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani and former Georgia GOP Chairman David Shafer, have offered commentary on the case and Willis on social media.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Willis, juggles, Trump, Scott McAfee, ” Willis, McAfee, Nathan Wade, Wade, Wade’s, ”, I’ve, ” McAfee, Willis ’, Steve Sadow, Michael J, Moore, ” Moore, they’ve, Buddy Parker, John Eastman, hasn’t, ” Parker, “, ” Willis ’, ‘, ’ ” McAfee, Rudy Giuliani, David Shafer Organizations: CNN, Trump, McAfee, Middle, Georgia GOP, gander Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Fulton County, Middle District, Trump, “, New York, we’re

CNN —Former President Donald Trump and several of his co-defendants in the Georgia election subversion case are appealing a judge’s ruling that let Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis remain on the election subversion case. The defense attorneys on Friday asked the Georgia Court of Appeals to overturn Judge Scott McAfee’s initial decision that allowed Willis and her office continue to pursue the case but only if Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor with whom she had a romantic relationship, resigned. While Wade has since left the case, defense attorneys still want the appellate court to disqualify the entire Fulton County DA’s office. “DA Willis has covered herself and her office in scandal and disrepute, as she has squandered her credibility and repeatedly and flagrantly violated the heightened ethical standards demanded of her position,” the appeal states. However, the judge added, “Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices – even repeatedly.”The district attorney’s office declined to comment.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Judge Scott McAfee’s, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade, Trump, “ DA Willis, flagrantly, McAfee, ” McAfee, CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, Trump Locations: Georgia, Fulton, Fulton County

☆ Fulton County DA Fani Willis says ‘the train is coming’ for Trump and his co-defendants
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-23 | by ( Jaide Timm-Garcia | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Saturday that “the train is coming,” referring to her team’s preparation for the case against former President Donald Trump and his 14 co-defendants and whether she was slowed down by attempts to remove her from the case. I do think there are efforts to slow down this train, but the train is coming,” she said while attending an Atlanta-area Easter basket giveaway. On Wednesday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee granted requests from Trump and his co-defendants to appeal the decision to allow Willis to continue prosecuting the case. Willis said she doesn’t feel as though she needs to rehabilitate her reputation with Fulton County residents, adding, “I’m not embarrassed by anything I’ve done. And as long as I’m here, I’m going to try to do the job in a way that’s honorable.”CNN’s Jason Morris and Zachary Cohen contributed to this report.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, ”, We’re, ” Willis, Scott McAfee, Trump, Nathan Wade, Saturday, “, “ I’m, I’m, Wade, I’ve, ” CNN’s Jason Morris, Zachary Cohen Organizations: CNN, Trump, Chapel United Methodist Church Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia

☆ Trump and co-defendants re-up their efforts to disqualify DA Fani Willis
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Jason Morris | Zachary Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

If he approves the request, the Georgia Court of Appeals would decide whether to take up the matter. McAfee concluded that if Willis stayed, Wade had to step down in order to dispel the “cloud of impropriety” created by their romantic relationship. Wade, who has testified that his romantic relationship with Willis is over, resigned after the ruling was issued on Friday. Willis and Wade’s relationship was thrust into the spotlight in January when co-defendant Mike Roman filed a motion to disqualify Willis over allegations of an “improper” relationship with Wade, whom she hired in 2021. Trump and his co-defendants wanted the judge to disqualify Willis’ team from the case – or throw out the charges – because of a possible conflict of interest.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee’s, Willis, Steve Sadow, Trump’s, Sadow, “, ” McAfee, Trump, Nathan Wade, McAfee, Wade, ”, Mike Roman, Willis ’, –, Jack Forrest Organizations: CNN, State of, Trump Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, State of Georgia

☆ Opinion: Trump gives Biden one big lift
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

Former President Donald Trump’s favorability ratings are only slightly better. The bipartisan legislation to control the flow of migrants across the southern border was blown up by opposition from Trump. One thing that is going right for Biden is Trump himself. “I want to vote for Donald Trump in November, wrote Marc A. Thiessen in the Washington Post. … Just like office holders have released their tax returns (up until former President Donald Trump), I would like to see more candidates release their physical and mental health assessments,” Schurman observed.

Persons: Oscar, ” Ramy Youssef, hungers, Max McCandles, Godwin Baxter, “, Frankenstein, Willem Dafoe, McCandles, Baxter, who’s, ”, Joe Biden’s, Donald Trump’s, Biden, Clay Jones, Trump, Ruth Ben, Ghiat, “ Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Viktor Orban, Adolf Hitler, Xi Jinping, Kim Jong, Saddam Hussein, —, — Donald Trump, ‘, ” Ben, Donald Trump, Marc A, Thiessen, Will, that’s, Dana M, Peterson, Erik Lundh, Will RFK, Mary ’, Aaron Rodgers, Julian Zelizer, Kamala Harris, Andrey Spektor, Hunter Biden, Andrea Hailey, We’re, Frederick D, Dennis Aftergut, Bill Bramhall, Hilary Krieger, Gary Schmidt, ” Bradley Schurman, …, Schurman, Robert Hur, Jack Ohman, Patrick T, Brown, Hur, Republicans “, Biden’s, Franklin D, Roosevelt, Willis, Fani Willis, Willis ’, Nathan Wade, Wade, Norman Eisen, Danya Perry, Joshua Kolb, Scott McAfee, Wade’s, ” “, ’ Biden, ” Jose Antonio Vargas, “ It’s, ” Dana Summers, Garry Pierre, Pierre, Ariel Henry, Henry, America sneezes, Frida Ghitis, TikTok, ” Ghitis, Catherine, Princess, Kate, George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, ” Rosa Prince, Louis ’, William, ’, ” Prince, Ekaterina Kotrikadze, Jonathan I, Fareed Zakaria, Carrie Sheffield, Noah Berlatsky, Kristen Stewart’s, queerness, Doug Heye, MAGA Trump, Dean Obeidallah, Katie Britt’s, Amy Hanauer, Naomi Walker, Robert Downey Jr, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Emma Stone, Cillian Murphy, Arturo Holmes, Jeff Yang, Jack Palance, Warren Beatty, Faye Dunaway, they’d, ” Yang, Cord Jefferson, Lily Gladstone, “ Gladstone, she’s, Leonardo, DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Emma Stone’s, Bella, ” Stone Organizations: CNN, Trump, Hamas, GOP, Washington Post, Mar, Hungarian, ”, Conference Board, Will RFK Jr, White House, American Enterprise Institute, Biden, Union, Republicans, Twitter, Pew Research Center, Content Agency Haiti, Haitian Times, Haitian, America, Kensington Palace, AP, Reuters, Agency, North, Hollywood Locations: Gaza, Israel, Ohio, Washington, Ukraine, Afghanistan, America, Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton, he’s, Florida, Texas, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Maryland, China, Wales, Kensington, North America, La, American

But McAfee’s 23-page opinion was a scathing rebuke of the district attorney’s actions, and it remains unclear if Trump will face trial before November on his actions after the 2020 presidential election. McAfee ruled that either Wade or Willis would have to leave the case, as an “odor of mendacity remains” over the circumstances of their relationship. “A perceived conflict in the reasonable eyes of the public threatens confidence in the legal system itself,” McAfee wrote Friday. “An outsider could reasonably think that the District Attorney is not exercising her independent professional judgment totally free of any compromising influences. As long as Wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist,” McAfee wrote.

Persons: Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Donald Trump –, Nathan Wade, Willis, Wade, It’s, Trump, McAfee, ”, Mike Roman, Willis ’, ” McAfee, Willis wasn’t, Willis –, SADA, untruthfully, Wade “, “, Will Wade, there’s, –, ” CNN’s Devan Cole Organizations: CNN, White House, Trump, Manhattan District, US, Attorney, District, District Attorney, ” Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Washington, New York, –, reimbursements, Atlanta

CNN —Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on and prosecute the Georgia 2020 election interference racketeering case against former President Donald Trump and 14 of his co-defendants, Judge Scott McAfee ruled Friday, but only if she removes the special prosecutor with whom she engaged in a romantic relationship. CNN has reached out to the district attorney’s office regarding the next steps in the case. Wilis chose to dedicate much of her energy on what she believed was the most important case: prosecuting Trump for his attempts to steal the Georgia election in 2020. But the next 40 non-racketeering charges stemmed from roughly a dozen key incidents after the 2020 election. Trump and 14 of his allies have pleaded not guilty to all the charges in the sprawling racketeering case.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, Willis, Nathan Wade, Trump, Willis ’, McAfee, ” McAfee, Wade, “, Wade “, Fulton, CNN Ashleigh Merchant, Mike Roman, Merchant, sully, ” Willis, ”, Wilis, Brad Raffensperger, Raffensperger, Mike Pence Organizations: CNN, Court, Trump, Jail, Department Locations: Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, reimbursements, Wade’s, Fulton, Coffee County , Georgia

☆ A Prosecutor in the Trump Georgia Case Resigns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Justin Porter | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wade resigned from the Georgia Trump caseNathan Wade resigned today from his post as special prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump. The move came after an Atlanta judge told Fani Willis, Wade’s boss and former romantic partner, that she and her office could keep the case only if Wade stepped down. With delays mounting, the case against Trump and 14 co-defendants, which is related to efforts to undo Trump’s election loss in Georgia in 2020, is unlikely to come to trial before the November election. Willis emerges from weeks of embarrassing hearings and headlines with a bruised reputation that could color the views of a future jury, making convictions more difficult. Another Trump trial: A New York judge delayed Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan until at least mid-April, postponing the only one of his four criminal cases that appeared set to begin.

Persons: Wade, Georgia Trump, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Wade’s, Scott McAfee, Willis, Trump Organizations: Trump Locations: Georgia, Atlanta, Fulton County, York, Manhattan

☆ How Revelations of a Prosecutors’ Romance Upended the Georgia Trump Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( The New York Times | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Merchant, a lawyer for one of the defendants in the Georgia election interference case, charges in a court filing that Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, engaged in a “clandestine” relationship with Nathan J. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ms. Willis says racism is a factor in the scrutiny of her hiring of Mr. Wade. An affidavit from Mr. Wade asserts that the romantic relationship started only after he was hired. A former friend of Ms. Willis, Robin Bryant-Yeartie, says she has “no doubt” the two started a romantic relationship earlier than they have said. But Mr. Wade, testifying for several hours, firmly denies Ms. Bryant-Yeartie’s claim.

Persons: Ashleigh B, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Martin Luther King Jr, Ms, Trump, Robin Bryant, Yeartie, Bryant Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta

☆ Read Nathan Wade’s Resignation Letter
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Fani T. Willis District Attorney SUSIRG JUDICIAL CIRCU OFFICE OF THE FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY ATLANTA JUDICIAL CIRCUIT 136 PRYOR STREET SW, 3RD FLOOR ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303 Nathan J. Building 25, Suite 100 Atlanta, GA 30339 March 15, 2024 TELEPHONE 404-612-4639 Dear Mr. Wade: I received your resignation letter dated March 15, 2024, and I accept it, effective immediately. You were the one who had the courage to accept the role, even though you did not seek it. You led a team that secured a true bill of indictment against nineteen individuals who are accused of violating Georgia law to undermine the 2020 election for the former President of the United States. You have successfully litigated in the United States District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit to ensure that Fulton County citizens will be the jurors who decide justice in this case.

Persons: Nathan J, Wade, Campbell, Mr, Georgia's Organizations: Willis, COUNTY DISTRICT, of Columbia, United States, Court, Appeals, Eleventh Circuit Locations: ATLANTA, ATLANTA , GEORGIA, S.E, Atlanta, Georgia, United States, Fulton County

☆ Live updates: Trump classified documents hearing, Fani Willis case closing arguments
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Special Counsel Jack Smith and attorneys for Trump proposed moving the trial later into the summer in court filings Thursday. Smith said he believes that Trump and his two co-defendants, Walt Nauta and Carlos De Oliviera, should go to trial on July 8, 2024. For Friday’s hearing in the documents case, scheduled for 10 a.m. Hearing over efforts to disqualify Fani Willis: Defense attorneys in Fulton County will deliver their closing arguments as to why Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be dismissed from the election interference case against Trump and his alleged co-conspirators. Attorneys for Trump and his allies are expected to argue that Wade and Willis lied under oath about when their relationship started.

Persons: Donald Trump, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, Trump, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliviera, Cannon, —, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade Organizations: Trump —, Trump Locations: Fulton County

In Florida, Trump’s attorneys told Judge Aileen Cannon his Mar-a-Lago classified documents case should wait until after the 2024 election. But both hearings could have a significant impact on when – or whether – Trump will face trial in each of those two cases. The only case that appears set: Trump’s New York criminal trial will begin March 25, which Trump’s attorneys said was a “firm” date in court Friday. Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis attends a hearing on the Georgia election interference case on Friday in Atlanta. When Trump’s attorneys argued for the hearing, Cannon pushed them to describe how they could narrow its scope and asked them to lay out specifically what a hearing would examine.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Aileen Cannon, Scott McAfee, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, – Trump, Jack Smith’s, Willis, Wade, McAfee, Craig Gillen, Alex Slitz, “ We’ve, ”, Gillen, David Shafer, “, ” Gillen, Cannon, Jack Smith, –, Todd Blanche, ” Blanche, Jay Bratt, ” Bratt, ” Cannon, Trump, David Harbach, Biden, Harbach, Emil Bove, ” McAfee, Terrence Bradley, Donald Trump, Steve Sadow, Bradley –, What’s, they’ve, They’ve, Sadow, Bradley, ” Sadow Organizations: CNN, Trump, Fulton, Georgia Republican, “ Prosecutors, ”, Justice Department, Prosecutors, Biden White, FBI Locations: Florida, Georgia, Fulton County, Washington, York, Atlanta

In Florida, meanwhile, a federal judge could push back Trump’s trial date in the classified documents case. Special Counsel Jack Smith and attorneys for Trump proposed moving the trial later into the summer in court filings Thursday. For Friday’s hearing in the documents case, scheduled for 10 a.m. Smith has highlighted a myriad of threats made against individuals connected to the documents case, including witnesses, government employees, an FBI agent involved in the initial Mar-a-Lago search and two federal judges, including Cannon herself. Attorneys for Trump and his allies are expected to argue that Wade and Willis lied under oath about when their relationship started.

Persons: Donald Trump, Trump, Fani Willis, Aileen Cannon, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, Smith, Walt Nauta, Carlos De Oliviera, De Oliviera’s, Cannon, —, Biden, – Nauta, De Oliveira, –, Willis, Scott McAfee, Nathan Wade, Wade, McAfee, Charles Mittelstadt, Terrence Bradley, Bradley, Ashleigh Merchant, Merchant Organizations: CNN, Trump —, White, National Security Council, Prosecutors, Trump Locations: Georgia, Florida, Fulton County, California, Belize, Caribbean

☆ Texts Show Witness Readily Helped Build a Case to Disqualify Trump Prosecutors
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Terrence Bradley, an Atlanta-area lawyer, had been billed as the star witness in the effort to disqualify Fani T. Willis, the district attorney leading the election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump in Georgia. But when Mr. Bradley took the stand this week — and twice earlier this month — he was a deeply reluctant witness. His testimony did little to resolve a question at the heart of the defense’s attempt to show that Ms. Willis had an untenable conflict of interest: Whether the romantic relationship between Ms. Willis and Nathan Wade, the lawyer she hired to help run the Trump case, began before or after he joined her staff. But hundreds of text messages obtained by The New York Times show that Mr. Bradley, a former law partner and friend of Mr. Wade, helped a defense lawyer to expose the relationship between the two prosecutors. The texts reveal that Mr. Bradley, who served for a time as Mr. Wade’s divorce lawyer until the two men had a bitter falling-out, assisted the effort to reveal the romance and provide details about it for at least four months — countering the impression he left on the witness stand that he had known next to nothing about the romance.

Persons: Terrence Bradley, Fani, Willis, Donald J, Trump, Bradley, Nathan Wade, Mr, Wade, Wade’s Organizations: Trump, The New York Times Locations: Atlanta, Georgia

The text messages raise questions about Bradley’s credibility, and the degree to which Merchant appeared to rely on his claims that she was then unable to substantiate elsewhere. Wade and Willis have admitted to being romantically involved, but both have testified their relationship started after Willis appointed Wade lead prosecutor in the Trump case. Merchant had said that he would contradict testimony from Willis and Wade once he took the stand. “Why would you speculate when she was asking you a direct question about when the relationship started?” Sadow pushed. The additional text messages show Bradley calling Merchant his “friend,” offering unsolicited advice, and also bashing Willis and Wade, Bradley’s former law partner.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Terrence Bradley, Ashleigh Merchant, Trump’s, Bradley, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade, Bradley’s, Merchant, Trump, ”, Steve Sadow, ” Sadow, ” Bradley, “, Merchant ., ” Merchant, ” “, Michael Moore, Scott McAfee, ” Moore Organizations: CNN, Trump, Merchant Locations: Georgia, Wade’s

CNN —A Georgia lawyer who had been billed as a star witness in the effort to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis did not deliver damaging testimony Tuesday on her romantic relationship with prosecutor Nathan Wade. “I do not have knowledge of it starting, or when it started,” Bradley said at one point. That filing leveled allegations that Willis and Wade engaged in an improper romantic relationship from which Willis financially benefited. “Why would you speculate when she was asking you a direct question about when the relationship started?” Sadow pushed. That means attorneys can use it to bolster their legal arguments about whether Willis should be disqualified without witness testimony.

Persons: CNN —, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Terrence Bradley, Willis, Wade, Donald Trump, Bradley, –, “, ” Bradley, ” Ashleigh Merchant, ” Merchant, Scott McAfee, CNN’s Nick Valencia, ’ Bradley, Merchant, Willis ’, ‘, ’ ” Bradley, “ Mr, Richard Rice, ” Trump, Steve Sadow, ” Sadow, ’, McAfee Organizations: CNN, Fulton, Trump, Bradley Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta, South Fulton

Friday’s filing from Steve Sadow, Trump’s lead attorney in the Georgia case, included an affidavit from a criminal defense investigator who said he relied on subpoenaed cell phone information and cell tower data. The investigator, Charles Mittelstadt, said he generated a report that isolated “all interactions,” including calls and text messages between Wade and Willis. (Trump’s attorney submitted a new filing Friday afternoon to clarify the types of exchanges between Wade and Willis.) In addition, Willis and Wade exchanged phone calls late into the evenings during this time, the investigator says, citing Wade’s subpoenaed cell phone data. This story has been updated with the revised filing from Trump’s attorneys, referring to 12,000 “interactions” between Wade and Willis.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Willis, Wade, Steve Sadow, Trump’s, Charles Mittelstadt, “, ”, Mittelstadt, Wade’s, ” Wade, Trump, Scott McAfee, McAfee, Terrence Bradley, Bradley Organizations: CNN, Trump Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton

☆ Opinion: Alexey Navalny, one man who stood up to a dictatorship
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-18 | by ( Richard Galant | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

We’re looking back at the strongest, smartest opinion takes of the week from CNN and other outlets. “In his courageous and too short life,” wrote Russia scholar Daniel Treisman, “Navalny became a symbol of hope for the younger generations of his compatriots. “He never gave up on the prospect of what he called ‘the beautiful Russia of the future,’” Treisman noted. “For a ‘beautiful Russia of the future’ to emerge in coming years, Putin must lose the war he started. Navalny understood this.”“Navalny’s death represents the extinguishing of all hope for Russia’s turnaround,” wrote Sasha Vasilyuk.

Persons: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Joseph Stalin “, “, ”, you’ve, Alexey Navalny, Vladimir Putin’s, Navalny, fearlessly, Putin, Daniel Treisman, “ Navalny, Navalny’s, ’ ” Treisman, Sasha Vasilyuk, Alexey Navalny’s, Peter Bergen, Andrei Sakharov, ” Putin, Bergen, Nick Anderson, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, authoritarians, Bill Bramhall, James Mattis, ” Peter Bergen, Frida Ghitis, Fidel Castro’s playbook, Patrick Mahomes, Andy “, Amy Bass, New York Democrat Tom Suozzi, George Santos, ” Suozzi, CNN Suozzi didn’t, Biden, isn’t, Long, Max Burns, ” “, Alejandro Mayorkas, ” “ Suozzi, Burns, Robert Hur’s, Norm Eisen, Richard Painter, Joshua Kolb, Hur, ” Joel Pett, Lawrence C, Levy, Julian Zelizer, Dean Obeidallah, Mark Dent, Dent, Saw, Clay Jones, David Orentlicher, ” Orentlicher, Will Cooper, Fani, Willis, Nathan, Wade, ” “ Willis, Antony Blinken, Batniji, Blinken, Fatah, Hussein, Don’t, David Horsey, Agency Jill Filipovic, Lynda Gorov, Taylor Swift, Jim Parrott, Mark Zandi, Brigid Schulte, Yuliya, Kara Alaimo, Frankie de la, Jackie Robinson’s, Jon Stewart’s, Jon Stewart, Matt Wilson, Jon Stewart skewered Trump, Bill Carter, Stewart, ” “ Stewart Organizations: CNN, IK, Moscow Times, Kremlin, Twitter, Facebook, Soviet, Tribune, Agency, Republican, Senate, Agency Former US Defense, Trump, , Kansas City Chiefs, Chiefs, nab, New, New York Democrat, Democratic, GOP, Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church, Super Bowl, Kansas, West Bank Locations: Soviet, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, New York, Washington, Georgia, ,, York, Glen Cove, Joel Osteen’s, Houston, Kansas City, America, ”, Kansas, Gaza, San Francisco, Israel, Iran

☆ Opinion: Fani Willis and Nathan Wade need to step aside for the sake of the country
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Opinion William Cooper | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“The optics are horrific,” Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney said about the fundraiser before disqualifying Willis and her staff from pursuing charges against Jones in July 2022. More recently, Willis admitted to having a “personal relationship” with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor she hired to help with Trump’s prosecution. Wade hasn’t just billed Fulton County over $650,000 under Willis’ supervision; he’s done so in irregular fashion. Combined with his personal relationship with Willis, they raise significant questions, including whether any of his outsized earnings have benefited Willis. If Willis and Wade step aside, other competent lawyers can make the case that Trump violated the law.

Persons: William Cooper, Substack, Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Sen, Burt Jones, Willis, Robert McBurney, disqualifying Willis, Jones, Nathan Wade, Michael Roman’s, Wade, Attorney Willis, Trump’s, Brad Raffensperger, “, ” Trump, Raffensperger, team’s misjudgments, Wade’s, Wade hasn’t, Willis ’, ”, Scott McAfee, Trump, it’s Organizations: CNN, District, Republican, Trump, Attorney, Fulton County prosecutorial Locations: California, Fulton County , Georgia, Republican Georgia, Fulton County, United States, Georgia, Fulton

☆ Georgia Trump Case Pivotal Hearing Could Stall Prosecution of Election Interference
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade acknowledged the relationship in a February court filing. Lawyers for Mr. Roman and other defendants are seeking to disqualify the two prosecutors from the case. Defense lawyers argue that the money paid to Mr. Wade creates an incentive for Ms. Willis to prolong the case. She said that the costs of the couple’s personal travel had been “divided roughly evenly” between her and Mr. Wade, so it represented no financial conflict. Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, the presiding judge in the Trump case, was persuaded that there was sufficient reason to hold an evidentiary hearing delving into the relationship.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, — Fani, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Mr, Michael Roman, Scott McAfee, “, Wade’s Organizations: Trump, Mr, Fulton County Superior Court Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Atlanta

☆ Trump state prosecutions reach a critical point on the same day in two cities
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The high-stakes hearings nearly 900 miles apart speak to the extraordinary entanglement of the 2024 election and Trump’s legal quagmire that now spans multiple presidential elections. Thursday will not even be the first time this week that the ex-president’s legal plight is playing out in two separate cities. The ruling could remove Trump’s capacity to do business in New York — the city where he made his name. As the expected first criminal trial, the New York case could still have important political implications. But the impact of Trump’s legal problems on a wider electorate is still to be tested.

Persons: Donald, Trump, Fani Willis, Joe Biden’s, Scott McAfee, Willis, quagmire, “, ”, ” Trump, Jack Smith, Smith, Juan Merchan, Stormy Daniels, McAfee, Nathan Wade, ” McAfee, Trump’s, Michael Roman, Wade, Roman, Anna Cross, ” Willis, Michael Moore, he’s Organizations: CNN, Fulton, Trump Organization, Trump, Big, Big Bethel AME Church, Middle, Middle District of Locations: New York, Georgia, Fulton County, York, Fort Pierce , Florida, Washington, South Carolina, Georgia In Georgia, Big Bethel, Atlanta, Middle District, Middle District of Georgia

‘I’m not on trial,’ Willis saysWillis seized several opportunities to defend herself. She said at the beginning of her testimony that she was “very anxious” to defend herself, “so I ran to the courtroom.”“You think I’m on trial,” Willis said, in her sharpest pushback of the day. Video Ad Feedback Hear what legal expert thinks about Fani Willis' testimony 03:39 - Source: CNNWhen did the relationship start? Bryant-Yeartie said she observed “hugging, kissing, close affection” between Willis and Wade prior to 2022, when they claimed their romantic relationship began. Trump lawyer Steven Sadow asked Willis about the breakup, eliciting an answer that revealed sexist remarks that Wade allegedly made to Willis in the past.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Scott McAfee, Trump’s, Willis, Nathan Wade, Trump, Willis ’, Wade, Willis didn’t, McAfee, ” Willis, “ You’ve, Ashleigh Merchant, ‘ I’m, ’ Willis, “, “ I’m, ”, Michael Roman, Robin Bryant, Bryant, Yeartie, Clinton, salaciously, ” Wade, reimbursements Wade, there’s, smirking, Craig Gillen, ” Gillen, Gillen, Steven Sadow, ’ ” Willis, Sadow, Rudy Giuliani, Mark Meadows, CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Jason Morris, Nick Valencia, Hannah Rabinowitz, Maxime Tamsett, Shirin Faqiri, Jim Rogers, Sarah Davis, Eva Roytburg, Fabiana Chaparro Organizations: CNN, Trump, Electoral College, Trump –, GOP Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, San Francisco, Miami, Belize, Bahamas, New York, Atlanta, York

CNN —A hearing that could derail the election subversion case against Donald Trump and others in Georgia is underway as a judge considers whether Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis should be disqualified. It’s unclear if another prosecutor in Georgia would even be inclined to take up the case from Willis, given its political and legal challenges. Wade and Willis acknowledged in court filings that they had a personal relationship but deny any wrongdoing. McAfee called for the hearing Thursday to “establish the record on those core allegations” against Willis and Wade and their relationship. “We are focusing on what the judge asked us to show him – the personal and financial benefits that Willis got from Wade,” Merchant told CNN.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Trump, Willis, Nathan Wade, disqualifying Willis, Wade, there’s, Willis’s, Scott McAfee, McAfee, “, ” McAfee, ”, Trump’s, Mike Roman, Wade’s, San, Ashleigh Merchant, ” Merchant, ’, Merchant, Roman –, Terrence Bradley, Bradley, “ Bradley, Peter Skandalakis, ” Skandalakis, Norm Eisen, Obama, Eisen Organizations: CNN, Georgia RICO, Miami, Trump, Merchant –, ’, of Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, San Francisco, Wade, Fulton, of Georgia

☆ Trump Co-Defendant Suggests Georgia Prosecutors Lied About Relationship Timing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-09 | by ( Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A lawyer for one of former President Donald J. Trump’s co-defendants in the Georgia election case suggested on Friday that the two prosecutors leading the case had lied about when their romantic relationship started. Wade, had begun before Ms. Willis hired Mr. Wade. That would contradict Mr. Wade, who said in a recent affidavit that his relationship with Ms. Willis had not begun until 2022, after his hiring. The affidavit was attached to a court filing made by Ms. Willis. Merchant identified the witness as Terrance Bradley, a lawyer who once worked in Mr. Wade’s law firm and for a time served as Mr. Wade’s divorce lawyer.

Persons: Donald J, Trump’s, Ashleigh Merchant, Fani, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Mr, Ms, Merchant, Terrance Bradley, Wade’s, “ Bradley, ” Ms Organizations: Trump, Mr Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Fulton County , Georgia

Search resuls for: "Wade’s"

25 mentions found