DA Willis vs. Trump’s defense: Nathan Wade’s relationship topic of fiery testimony during hearing

ATLANTA - Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is expected to be back on the stand on Friday morning for the second day in a hearing to determine if she will be disqualified from prosecuting former President Donald Trump and others in the Georgia election interference case.

Willis is accused of benefiting from a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, hired for the case. Wade took the stand Thursday morning with fiery testimony from Willis on Thursday afternoon.

READ MORE ABOUT THURSDAY'S TESTIMONY

The hearing will continue Friday at 9 a.m. and Willis is expected to be back on the stand for further cross-examination and redirect.

DA Willis’ fiery testimony

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis took the stand shortly after 3 p.m. Thursday, but it might as well have been high noon. Willis appeared to come to fight. Court watchers could only describe her testimony as "fireworks."

The district attorney was not necessarily expected to attend, having fought vigorously to stay off the witness stand. However, on Thursday afternoon, as Nathan Wade stepped out of the box, she stepped up to address the court. Those in court could hear a pin drop as Willis took the stand. It didn’t last long.

After being sworn in, Willis remarked about her appearance at the hearing.

"I've been very much looking forward to this conversation," Willis told the courtroom.

Willis sparred with former President Donald Trump’s attorney, Steven Sadow, with some of the exchanges appearing to hit below the belt.

Willis: "It is an inaccurate way to state the question."

Sadow: "Then I will certainly restate it, so it is very accurate. 

Willis: "OK, and please do not yell at me."

Willis’ relationship with Wade has overshadowed the racketeering charges brought against the former president and others. Visibly upset, Willis condemned the attorney’s attempt to disqualify her.

"I object to you getting records. You’ve been intrusive into people’s personal lives. You seem confused," Willi said. 

Willis slammed the defense attorney who exposed her questionable romance, accusing her of playing a game of deflection. 

"Do you think I’m on trial? 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," Willis told defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant. At another point, Willis said, "Merchant’s interests are contrary to democracy."

Willis had agreed to testify after an earlier witness told the court her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade began earlier than they had claimed. At one point, in response to the testimony, Willis was seen raising papers in front of her and shouting: "Let's be clear because you've lied. It's a lie! It's a lie!"

Judge Scott McAfee ordered a short break after the outburst. He had to remind both sides to keep their decorum several times during what appeared to be a made-for-TV courtroom drama.

Former friend Robin Yeartie on Wade and Willis’ romantic relationship

Nathan Wade and Fani Willis have maintained their relationship began only after she hired him to the team in 2021, but Robin Yeartie, a former friend and co-worker of Willis, testified earlier Thursday that she saw Willis and Wade hugging and kissing before he was hired as special prosecutor.

Attorney: "Did you observe them do things that are common among people having a romantic relationship? 

Yeartie: "Yes."

Attorney: "Such as? Can you give us an example? 

Yeartie: "Hugging, kissing, just affection."

Wade and Willis both testified that they didn’t start dating until 2022 and that their relationship ended months ago.

Nathan Wade takes stand in Fulton County

Nathan Wade took the stand shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday in the hearing for Michael Roman's motion in Fulton County.

During personal and uncomfortable testimony that spanned hours, Wade also admitted to having sex with Willis during his separation from his estranged wife, even though he had claimed in a divorce filing that wasn’t the case.

"There is nothing secret or salacious about having a private life," Wade said. "Nothing."

"We are private people. Our relationship wasn’t a secret, it was just private," Wade added.

Under continued questioning, Wade again denied being in a relationship with Willis during 2020 and 2021. When the Fulton County attorney asked if there was a reason that he had to be especially careful during that time because of the pandemic, Wade said he was battling cancer during those years, and he wasn't dating anyone. 

Wade, who took the stand after the judge refused to quash a subpoena for his testimony, testified that he and Willis traveled together to Belize, Aruba and California and took cruises together, but said Willis paid him back in cash for some travel expenses that he had charged on his credit card.

"She was very emphatic and adamant about this independent, strong woman thing, so she demanded that she paid her own way," Wade said.

Wade also claimed during his testimony that his income had "significantly" decreased due to his involvement in the case against the former president and his co-defendants. Roman's motion claims that both Wade and Willis have profited from the case. 

DA Willis' disqualification boils down to money

The defendants’ lawyers are trying to convince the judge that a romantic relationship created a financial incentive for Willis to go after Trump. 

Merchant grilled the district attorney about who paid for the trips that Willis and Wade took together. Willis explained that she gave Wade cash for anything that he paid for on her behalf. When she was asked where the cash came from, Willis answered that she always kept a supply of cash in her home because her father taught her that it was a good idea to always have money on hand.

Wade has been paid $730,000 from the case so far, but Willis says she paid her own way when they went on vacations, mostly in large sums of cash she kept with her.

Wade testified that he and Willis traveled together to Belize, Aruba and California and took cruises together, but said Willis paid him back in cash for some travel expenses that he had charged on his credit card.

"She was very emphatic and adamant about this independent, strong woman thing, so she demanded that she paid her own way," Wade said.

Wade was pressed by defense attorneys to answer uncomfortable questions about his relationship with Willis, prompting objections from the district attorney’s office. The hearing began with lengthy sparring between lawyers over who must answer questions.

In a court filing earlier this month, Willis’ office insisted that she has no financial or personal conflict of interest and that there are no grounds to dismiss the case or to remove her from the prosecution. Her filing called the allegations "salacious" and said they were designed to generate headlines.

Attorneys for Trump, other defendants on Wade and Willis's relationship

The revelation of Willis and Wade’s romantic relationship has provided an opening for Trump and his Republican allies to try to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Willis’ case, which the former president has characterized as politically motivated. Other Republicans have cited them in calling for investigations into Willis, a Democrat who’s up for reelection this year.

The probing questions for Willis and for Wade, who testified before her, underscored the extent to which the prosecutors who pledged to hold Trump accountable are themselves now under a public microscope, with revelations about their personal lives diverting attention away from Trump’s own conduct and raising questions about the future of the case as Trump vies to reclaim the White House.

Trump and his co-defendants have argued that the relationship presents a conflict of interest that should force Willis off the case. Wade sought to downplay the matter, casting himself and Willis as "private people."

Nine of the remaining 15 co-defendants are asking Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee to dismiss the charges. He will have to decide if a personal relationship between Willis and Wade constitutes a conflict of interest that should disqualify her from the case.

McAfee said during a hearing Monday that Willis could be disqualified "if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one."

He said the issues he wants to explore at the hearing are "whether a relationship existed, whether that relationship was romantic or nonromantic in nature, when it formed and whether it continues." Those questions are only relevant, he said, "in combination with the question of the existence and extent of any personal benefit conveyed as a result of the relationship."

If Willis were disqualified, a council that supports prosecuting attorneys in Georgia would find a new attorney to take over who could either proceed with the charges against Trump and 14 others or drop the case altogether.

The Associated Press contributed to this report