A tense courtroom hearing regarding allegations of impropriety by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took an unexpected turn as the prosecutor she was accused of having an affair with, special prosecutor Nathan Wade, abruptly left the courtroom mid-hearing. The incident, captured on video, unfolded as witnesses were about to take the stand. Wade swiftly rose from his seat and exited through a side door, followed by another individual.
The hearing, presided over by Judge Scott McAfee, is crucial in determining whether Willis should be disqualified from prosecuting the case against former President Donald Trump. Willis has charged Trump with felony racketeering counts related to alleged efforts to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results. The attorney for one of Trump’s co-defendants has sought Willis’s dismissal from the case, citing evidence of a personal relationship between Willis and Wade. Wade, a member of Willis’s team since the start of the Trump trial, has reportedly received payments exceeding $728,000.
During the hearing, Terrence Bradley, a former partner to Willis, provided testimony that the National Bar Association had advised him on how to avoid answering questions about Willis. Bradley asserted that confidentiality applied and that he was instructed to seek an immediate review by the Supreme Court if pressed on certain questions. When asked by Judge McAfee about the scope of confidentiality, Bradley indicated that it covered any communications but was circumspect about specifics related to his conversations with Wade.
Willis had previously refused to confirm a romantic relationship with Wade, citing racial and political motivations behind attacks on her personal life. She recently admitted to dating Wade, but the controversy persists. Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, alleges that witnesses are willing to testify that the relationship between Willis and Wade predates the prosecution of Trump, contradicting Willis’s sworn affidavit that indicates a more recent start date.
The situation has garnered attention beyond the courtroom, with state and federal Republicans launching separate inquiries into whether Willis’s office improperly used taxpayer funds or diverted resources from other programs to fund the extensive case against Trump and 18 others. The developments underscore the complexity and scrutiny surrounding the legal proceedings involving Fani Willis and the prosecution of Donald Trump.
