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☆ Fani Willis' dad testifies his daughter was dating a DJ nicknamed 'Deuce' in 2019
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Willis' dad, retired lawyer John Floyd III, said in his testimony that Willis was dating a DJ nicknamed "Deuce" in 2019 — which is the same year that an ex-pal of Willis' testified a day earlier that she started dating Nathan Wade, the attorney Willis appointed in 2021 as special prosecutor in the high-profile criminal case. Willis and Wade both testified that they stopped dating in the summer of 2023. Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies at a hearing Feb. 15 in Atlanta on her relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. PoolFloyd testified Willis was forced to move out of her house over threatsWhile on the stand Friday, Floyd said that he moved into Willis' home in 2019 and "often" saw her DJ boyfriend nicknamed "Deuce" coming and going. Fulton County Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade testifies during a hearing at the Fulton County Courthouse on February 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Persons: —, Georgia's, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Willis, John Floyd III, Nathan Wade, Wade, Floyd, Wade's, Mike Roman, Trump, Nathan Wade . Pool Floyd, Deuce, Robin Yeartie, I've, we've, haven't, Alyssa Pointer, I'm, Chris Kachouroff, Harrison Floyd Organizations: Service, Fulton County Superior Court, Trump, Fulton, Trump's Locations: Georgia's Fulton County, Fulton County, Atlanta, Fulton, Atlanta , Georgia

I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial,” Willis told defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant. It’s unclear when the judge might rule on whether Willis and her office should be disqualified from the case. Wade and Willis both testified that they didn't start dating until 2022 and that their relationship ended months ago. That successor could either proceed with the charges against Trump and 14 others or drop the case altogether. Willis and Wade's relationship was first revealed by Merchant, an attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, a former campaign staffer and onetime White House aide.

Persons: Donald Trump's, Fani Willis, Willis, Nathan Wade, Wade, “, I’m, ” Willis, Ashleigh Merchant, Trump, Scott McAfee, Robin Yeartie, ” Wade, Willis ’, Merchant, Michael Roman, ____ Richer, Adriana Gomez Licon Organizations: ATLANTA, Trump, Republicans, House, Republican, White, Associated Press Locations: Georgia, Fulton County, Belize, Aruba, California, Boston, Miami

☆ Trump DA Fani Willis says the prosecutor she dated once said the only thing a woman can do for him is make a sandwich
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewATLANTA, Georgia — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified Thursday that she and the special prosecutor she hired to oversee the Trump case butted heads on gender norms while they dated. "Mr. Wade is used to women that, as he told me one time, the only thing a woman can do for him is make him a sandwich," Willis testified. Willis testified during the contentious Thursday hearing that Wade's attitude on issues like that was a pain point for them while dating. During a line of questioning about the end of Willis and Wade's relationship, the Fulton County DA offered a glimpse into the former couple's dynamic. However, Robin Bryant Yeartie, a former friend and colleague of Willis, testified Thursday that Willis and Wade's relationship began in 2019.

Persons: —, Fani Willis, Willis —, America —, didn't, Nathan Wade, Mr, Wade, Willis, Donald Trump, Mike Roman, I'm, Trump, Robin Bryant Yeartie Organizations: Service, Trump, Business, Fulton County DA Locations: ATLANTA , Georgia, Fulton County, America

☆ Navalny’s death puts a new spotlight on key dividing line between Trump and Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“Make no mistake: Putin is responsible for Navalny’s death. A few moments earlier, Secretary of State Antony Blinken linked Navalny’s death directly to Russia’s president. Asked whether Navalny’s death might spur Congress to act in providing more Ukraine aid, Biden was hopeful. Even so, Johnson said in a statement Friday that Putin “is likely directly responsible” for Navalny’s death. “I made it clear to him that I believe the consequences of that would be devastating for Russia,” Biden said in Geneva, where the summit was held.

Persons: Alexey Navalny’s, Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Putin, ” Biden, Roosevelt, “ Putin, ” Trump, Nikki Haley, Fani Willis ’, Trump, Putin’s, Biden, “ It’s, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, “, ”, Mike Johnson, Johnson, Putin “, Tucker Carlson, Carlson, Trump’s, ” Haley, Truman, “ Trump, he’d, Navalny, we’re, ” Harris, Harris, Navalny’s, CNN’s Haley Britzky, Lauren Fox, Kate Sullivan Organizations: CNN, White, GOP, Fulton, NATO, Biden, Munich Security Conference, Republican, Republicans, Ukraine, Fox News, South Carolina Gov, South, Putin, Super, Ukraine wavers, “, Trump Locations: Washington, Russia, Fulton County, Georgia, Europe, Moscow, Ukraine, Munich, United States, South Carolina, Michigan , Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Geneva, Asia, transatlanticism

☆ Trump Gets a Trial Date, and Fani Willis Fights Back
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( New York Times Audio | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The New York Times Audio app is home to journalism and storytelling, and provides news, depth and serendipity. If you haven’t already, download it here — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter. The Headlines brings you the biggest stories of the day from the Times journalists who are covering them, all in about five minutes.

Organizations: New York Times, Times

☆ Willis Prepares to Take Witness Stand for Second Day in Trump Georgia Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fani T. Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, will take the witness stand for a second day of questioning Friday morning as a hearing continues over whether her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor in the Georgia election interference case presents a conflict of interest. In the hearing, which will resume at 9 a.m., the defense is seeking to disqualify Ms. Willis and Nathan Wade, the prosecutor she hired to run the case against former President Donald J. Trump and his allies, accusing Ms. Willis of benefiting financially from the relationship. The argument has been pressed primarily by Ashleigh Merchant, the lawyer for Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official and a co-defendant in the case. Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade have acknowledged that they had a romantic relationship but said it had begun after he was hired on the case and that neither person had profited from it. Ms. Willis is set to face questions from lawyers on the district attorney’s legal team and possibly the defense, and both sides said they intended to call several more witnesses to the stand.

Persons: Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald J, Trump, Ms, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Mr, Wade Organizations: Trump Locations: Fulton County, Georgia

☆ Fani Willis takes the stand hellbent on setting the record straight — but legal experts are split on whether her testimony did more harm than good
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Citing a filing from Wade's divorce proceedings, attorneys for the defendants alleged that Wade and Willis had an improper relationship. A witness for the defense attorneys alleged Thursday that Willis and Wade's relationship began in 2019. Nathan Wade, the Georgia prosecutor who admitted to a relationship with his colleague, Fulton County DA Fani Willis, in court. Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies at a hearing Feb. 15 in Atlanta on her relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. Most experts were skeptical that the evidence presented Thursday would lead to Willis or Wade being dismissed from the case.

Persons: —, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Scott McAfee, Willis, Wade, pugnacious, Mike Roman, Trump, Stephen Gillers, McCaffee, I've, It's, Gillers, Norman Eisen, Trump's, DA Willis, Eisen, Sarah Krissoff, Krissoff, Mark Bederow, wasn't, Bederow, Neama, Cash, Rahmani, Pool Willis, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Trump, Fulton, New York University, YouTube, Willis Locations: ATLANTA , Georgia, Fulton County, Georgia, Atlanta, New York, Manhattan, California

☆ A tempestuous day in multiple courts deepens Trump’s legal imbroglio
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Washington CNN —Every day, America gets dragged deeper into Donald Trump’s legal, political and constitutional morass. But at the end of a tempestuous day, his legal strategy was clearer than ever. In itself, it represents a profound political and legal test for American democracy and the rule of law – even if it is only one of Trump’s legal threats. In a normal election, Trump would be keen to turn his fire on his likely general election foe, Biden, by late March. But he will be forced to spend day after day in court in New York.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Fani Willis, Trump’s, Michael Roman, Willis, Nathan Wade, ” Darryl Cohen, CNN’s Erin Burnett, “, ” Cohen, Wade, Trump, Caroline Polisi, Robin Yeartie –, Willis –, ” Polisi, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, –, ” Willis, Judge Juan Merchan, Biden, he’s, Alvin Bragg’s, Todd Blanche, Merchan, ” Merchan, ” Blanche, he’ll, David Weiss, Hunter Biden’s, Alexander Smirnov, Harry Reid, Smirnov Organizations: Washington CNN, Trump, Fulton, District, Republican, FBI, Burisma Holdings, Harry Reid International, GOP Locations: America, Georgia, Fulton Country , Georgia, Fulton County, York, Trump, United States, Manhattan, New York, Las Vegas

☆ Willis Calls Trump Lawyer 'Intrusive' and 'Confused' on Witness Stand
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Erica Star Domena | Tamara Lindstrom | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is at risk of being pulled from Donald Trump's Georgia criminal case over an affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

Persons: Fani Willis, Donald Trump's, Nathan Wade Locations: Fulton County, Donald Trump's Georgia

In an interview on Wednesday, Mr. Skandalakis said that he could ask a prosecutor to take on the Trump case voluntarily. Mr. Skandalakis said he could also try to find a lawyer in private practice to replace Ms. Willis. Mr. Skandalakis, a Republican, could also theoretically choose to appoint himself as the new prosecutor. No replacement prosecutor has been named. This week, Mr. Skandalakis declined to say how quickly he would be able to find a replacement for Ms. Willis in the Trump case, if it were necessary.

Persons: Fani, Willis, Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Pete Skandalakis, Skandalakis, Burt Jones, Jones Organizations: ’, of, Republican, Georgia Democrats, Trump Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, of Georgia, United States, DeKalb, Cobb

☆ Opinion: Don’t misread Trump’s loss in his civil trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Opinion David Orentlicher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Even among all Americans, Trump seems to be doing better. Instead of leading many voters to distrust Trump, the legal cases are leading voters to distrust the legal system. It’s important for the public to feel that the Trump prosecutions are legitimate. For many Americans, all of these distortions validate their sense that the Trump prosecutions are partisan. As they erode public trust, public officials solidify Trump’s support.

Persons: David Orentlicher, Jack, Lulu Lehman, William S, Donald Trump, Arthur Engeron, Trump, Engeron, David Orentlicher R, Marsh Starks, Joe Biden’s, Jack Smith, pollsters, Jean Carroll, –, Engoron, Attorney Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, disqualifying Trump, overreach Organizations: Boyd School of Law, University of Nevada, Democrat, Nevada Assembly, CNN, Trump, UNLV Creative, Republican, ABC, Capitol, defaming, Manhattan, Attorney, District, Mafia, Colorado Supreme, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Las Vegas, Nevada, New York, Iowa, New Hampshire, York, Fulton County , Georgia, Colorado, Maine

☆ Trump’s silver lining in the New York hush money case going to trial first
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The trial date in his New York hush money case was confirmed to be March 25. Trump’s lawyers are hoping to get the Georgia case thrown out or at least delayed over Willis’ conduct. That well could be the case if the New York case finishes first, which looks most likely given that it will probably start first. Of course, the Georgia case is currently on an uncertain timeline with a lead prosecutor who may not end up being the prosecutor who brings the case to trial. The bottom line is that no one wants to be on trial, but if Trump had to pick, he’d much rather go first with the New York case.

Persons: Donald Trump, Fani Willis, Willis ’, Trump, Stormy Daniels, Alvin Bragg’s, Joe Biden, he’s, Willis Organizations: CNN, Quinnipiac University, Quinnipiac, Capitol, White, AP, Georgia, Trump, Biden Locations: New York, Fulton County, Georgia, York

☆ Fani Willis' longtime friend says the DA began dating Nathan Wade years before she hired him — contradicting his affidavit to the court
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The salacious details of the alleged affair between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and Wade have temporarily upstaged the charges against Trump and his co-defendants. Nathan Wade, the Georgia prosecutor who admitted to a relationship with his colleague, Fulton County DA Fani Willis, in court recently. "In 2022, District Attorney Willis and I developed a personal relationship in addition to our professional association and friendship," said Wade, according to the court documents. Wade testified that for any trips he and Willis have taken, Willis paid her share. "She's a very independent, proud woman, so she's going to insist that she carries her own weight," Wade told the court of Willis.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Nathan Wade, Fani Willis, Wade, Trump, Willis, Robin Yeartie, Yeartie, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, they've, Robert Cheeley, Attorney Willis, Merchant . Wade, it's Organizations: Service, DA, Business, Fulton County Superior Court, Trump, Merchant, Fulton, Attorney Locations: Fulton County , Georgia, Fulton County, Trump, Trump's Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, Merchant .

☆ 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

☆ With Everything on the Line, Fani Willis Delivered Raw Testimony
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Fani T. Willis walked unaccompanied through the front door of a Fulton County courtroom on Thursday afternoon in a bright magenta dress and announced she was ready to testify. She was interrupting her lawyer, who at that very moment was trying to convince a judge that she should not have to testify at all. “I’m going to go,” Ms. Willis said. In a raw performance, Ms. Willis, 52, presented herself as a woman in full — by turns combative and serene, focused and discursive (at one point she declared her preference for Grey Goose vodka over wine). At one point her voice approached a yell, prompting Scott McAfee, the mild-mannered judge, to call a five-minute recess in an apparent effort to cool things down.

Persons: Willis, “ I’m, ” Ms, Donald J, Ashleigh Merchant, Nathan J, Wade, Scott McAfee Organizations: Trump Locations: Fulton, Fulton County ,

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

☆ What Happens if Fani Willis Is Disqualified From the Trump Case?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The stakes are high as a judge in Atlanta weighs whether the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, should be disqualified from leading the prosecution of former President Donald J. Trump on election interference charges. The case would then be reassigned to another Georgia prosecutor, who would have the ability to continue with the case exactly as it is, make major changes — such as adding or dropping charges or defendants — or to even drop the case altogether. The decision to drop the case would end the prosecution of Mr. Trump and his allies for their actions in Georgia after the 2020 election, when the former president sought to overturn his loss in the state. It would be up to a state entity called the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia to find someone else to take up the case. More specifically, the decision would fall to the council’s executive director, Pete Skandalakis, an experienced former prosecutor.

Persons: Fani, Willis, Donald J, Trump, Scott McAfee, Pete Skandalakis Organizations: ’, of Locations: Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia, of Georgia

☆ The special prosecutor in Trump's Georgia case says he's no longer dating DA Fani Willis
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewNathan Wade, the special prosecutor Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis hired to lead the state’s 2020 election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his allies, testified on Thursday that he’s no longer dating the DA. The attorney, in the motion, accused Willis of benefiting financially from hiring Wade because he paid for them to take extravagant vacations. Fulton County DA Fani Willis testifies at a hearing Feb. 15 in Atlanta on her relationship with Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade. For a cruise trip, Wade said Willis paid him before they traveled, and for other trips, Wade said Willis would pay him back during the trip. Willis appointed Wade to the case on November 1, 2021 — one day before he filed for divorce from his wife.

Persons: —, Nathan Wade, Fani Willis, Donald Trump, Steve Saddow, Wade, Willis, ” Saddow, ”, ” Wade, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, Robert Cheeley, Merchant ., Scott McAfee, Pool Organizations: Service, Fulton, Fulton County Superior Court, Business, Trump, Merchant Locations: Fulton County, Trump, Trump's Georgia, Aruba, Atlanta

‘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

☆ Trump prosecutors' romantic relationship began years before Georgia election case, witness testifies
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Georgia judge presiding over criminal charges against Donald Trump is hearing arguments Thursday about whether to disqualify the district attorney leading the election interference case against the former president. The hearing centers on allegations from one of Trump's co-defendants that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade personally benefited from their romantic relationship. The relationship began in late 2019, shortly after Willis and Wade met at a conference, Yeartie testified. Willis and Wade adamantly deny that their relationship presents a conflict of interest warranting their disqualification from the case. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 13 criminal counts in the Georgia election case.

Persons: Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Trump's, Robin Yeartie, Willis, Wade, Yeartie, Trump, Joe Biden's, Scott McAfee, Michael Roman Organizations: Fulton County Superior Court, Manhattan Locations: Fulton County, Atlanta, Georgia, Georgia's, New York City

☆ Takeaways From the Hearing in the Georgia Trump Case
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Richard Fausset | Danny Hakim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

It was one of the most striking developments yet in the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump and his allies: The two lead prosecutors took the witness stand Thursday in a daylong hearing, with defense attorneys grilling them about their personal lives. The defense is arguing that Fani Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, and her office should be disqualified and removed from the prosecution, accusing her of benefiting financially from a relationship with the lead prosecutor that she hired to manage the case, Nathan Wade. If the judge removes them from the case, it would delay and potentially derail a proceeding that has major implications for the 2024 presidential election. Here are takeaways from the combative hearing:

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

☆ Trump DA Fani Willis fights back on the stand in Georgia election interference case: 'I'm not on trial.'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Haven Orecchio-Egresitz | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

You think I'm on trial," Willis quipped to a defense attorney. In a hot pink dress, and visibly displeased, Willis took the stand with an argumentative attitude and choice words for the defense attorney questioning her. Yeartie testified in the case Thursday, saying Willis and Wade began a relationship in 2019, contradicting his prior claims. Willis was verbose on the stand, cracking jokes and snapping at the defense attorney as she appeared eager to take back control of the case. AdvertisementDozens of reporters were squeezed into the back three rows of the downtown Atlanta courtroom, awaiting Willis' testimony.

Persons: —, Fani Willis, Nathan Wade, Donald Trump, Willis, I'm, Craig Gillen, Ashleigh Merchant's, Wade, Robin Bryant Yeartie, Yeartie, Donald John Trump, Scott McAfee, Alyssa Pointer, Mike Roman, Merchant, didn't, Trump, Wade vacationed, quipping Organizations: Service, Fulton, Business, of, Lawyers, Trump, Merchant Locations: ATLANTA, Fulton County, Georgia, of Georgia, Fulton, Atlanta , Georgia, Tennessee, Miami, Atlanta

A case charging former President Donald J. Trump and his allies with trying to subvert the 2020 election results in Georgia took a detour on Thursday into the details of the prosecutors’ romantic and financial lives — their sleeping arrangements, vacations and private bank accounts — in an unusual and highly contentious hearing. Lawyers for Mr. Trump and his co-defendants have argued that the Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, and the special prosecutor she hired to manage the case, Nathan J. Wade, should be disqualified from the case because their romantic and financial entanglements had created a conflict of interest. Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade forcefully rejected those accusations in testimony on Thursday, with Ms. Willis accusing the defense lawyers of spreading “lies.”“You think I’m on trial,” Ms. Willis told Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for Michael Roman, a former Trump campaign official who is a co-defendant in the case. “These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Fani, Willis, Nathan J, Wade, Mr, ” Ms, Ashleigh Merchant, Michael Roman, I’m Organizations: Mr, Trump, Fulton County Superior Court Locations: Georgia, Fulton County

The trial is expected to last for roughly six weeks, with court in session every weekday but Wednesdays, severely limiting Trump’s ability to campaign for president during that time. The New York criminal trial also presents another problem for Trump’s ability to create a media circus – cameras are not allowed in the courtroom. It’s a criminal trial, we expect it will be mandatory,” a senior Trump adviser told CNN. The judge responded saying Trump would not be required to sit for two criminal trials at the same time. Those findings underscore the importance of Trump’s strategy of delaying the criminal cases he is facing for as long as possible.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, –, Trump, ”, District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Fani Willis, Joe Biden –, Biden, Todd Blanche, “, Bragg, it’s, I’ll, ” Trump, ‘, It’s, Judge Juan Merchan, Blanche, he’d, ” Merchan, “ That’s, – he’d, Trump’s, “ He’s, Merchan, Willis, CNN’s Terence Burlij Organizations: York, York City CNN, Republican, District Attorney, Trump, GOP, Biden, Democrats, CNN, New, “, Democrat, Granite State Locations: York City, New York, New, York, Georgia, Fulton County, Manhattan, Arizona , Florida , Illinois , Kansas, Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, Granite, South Carolina

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