Georgia DA Fani Willis can remain on Trump election fraud case, judge rules

Embattled Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis can stay on and prosecute the election interference case against former president Donald Trump and his co-defendents for allegedly trying to overturn the results of the 2020 election, a judge ruled Friday.

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee issued the decision early Friday, following two days of testimony from Willis and her special prosecutor Nathan Wade and others close to them.

The allegations charged Willis had become romantically involved with Wade before 2021, when she appointed him special prosecutor in the election interference case and claimed that she benefitted financially from his lucrative special prosecutor post when he treated her to luxurious vacations.

The relationship was first revealed by Trump co-defendant Mike Roman in a bombshell court filing which said it presented a conflict of interest and asked for Willis to be removed from the case.

Both Willis and Wade — whose divorce from his wife has yet to be finalized and signed off by a judge — admitted to the affair, but maintained under oath that the relationship only became official in 2022, after they had already brought the case against the former president and 18 others.

The pair — who ended their relationship in the summer of 2023 — also claimed they roughly split the cost of the trips they went on together with Wade paying for them upfront and Willis repaying her share to him with cash.

During her time on the stand, Willis accused Ashleigh Merchant – a criminal defense attorney for one of Trump’s co-defendants – of being “dishonest.”

Willis also said she found it “extremely offensive” Merchant implied she slept with Wade at a conference where they first met in October 2019.

“You’re confused, you think I’m on trial,” Willis told Merchant when she was questioned about her and Wade’s flight records.

“These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial,” she added, referring to Trump and his co-defendants.

But several witnesses presented information that contradicted what the former lovers claimed.

In mid-February, Robin Yeartie – a former DA’s office employee who also claimed to be one of Willis’ longtime friends – testified that she had “no doubt” Willis and Wade were romantically linked as early as 2019.

Yeartie said that she saw the pair “kissing” and “hugging” at the time.

Wade’s former law partner and one-time divorce attorney Terrence Bradley also told Merchant in January that the affair “absolutely” started before Wade was appointed to the Trump case.

“It started when she left the DA’s office and was judge in South Fulton,” Bradley texted Merchant on Jan. 5, according to records that were referenced in court and later revealed in full on Megyn Kelly’s podcast.

Part of the allegations against Willis include that she financially benefited from appointing Wade to the plum role in the Trump case, notably when he paid for her to go on trips with him using cash earned on the job.

Bradley seemed to be aware of these excursions, texting to Merchant: “They took many trips to Florida…Texas….California.”

“Dang,” Merchant wrote back at the time. “They had a full on relationship.”

Bradley, however, tried to backtrack on the stand and said that the text conversation with Merchant was “speculation” – was even heard muttering “Oh, dang” when presented with copies of the exchange.

During closing arguments, attorney Steven Sadow pointed out that Willis and Wade purposely concealed their relationship until it was revealed in court in January.

“They concealed it from all parties. From [Willis’] daddy. Daddy didn’t even know they had a relationship!” Sadow exclaimed.

Even after the court stopped hearing evidence, newly-filed documents named other potential witnesses with details about the former couple’s affair.

One of those potential witnesses with lawyer Manny Arora, who was supposedly told by Bradley that Wade had a garage door opener for Yeartie’s former apartment – where he and Willis apparently met for their trysts.