{"id":2177415,"date":"2024-02-15T16:59:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T21:59:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fani-willis-testifies-amid-questions-about-cash-payments-to-special-prosecutor\/"},"modified":"2024-02-15T17:01:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T22:01:33","slug":"fani-willis-testifies-amid-questions-about-cash-payments-to-special-prosecutor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fani-willis-testifies-amid-questions-about-cash-payments-to-special-prosecutor\/","title":{"rendered":"Fani Willis testifies amidst cash payment queries to special prosecutor"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffani-willis-testifies-amid-questions-about-cash-payments-to-special-prosecutor%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2177415&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Former President Donald\u2064 Trump Faces Criminal Trial\u200c in Georgia<\/h2>\n<p>Former President Donald Trump may be facing a criminal trial in Georgia, but\u2062 Fulton \u200bCounty District Attorney\u200c Fani Willis is now in the hot seat.<\/p>\n<h3>Willis\u200c Testifies \u2063in Evidentiary\u2063 Hearing<\/h3>\n<p>Willis, who\u200c brought the Georgia election subversion case against Trump and allies last August, was \u2062called to\u200c testify in an evidentiary hearing seeking to disqualify her from the\u200c case on Thursday. She took\u2062 the \u2064stand\u200c after\u2063 hours of\u2063 grilling by her former lover and hired prosecutor, Nathan Wade, who \u2063said Thursday their\u2062 &#8220;sexual relationship&#8221; began in 2022\u2062 and\u200b revealed\u2063 novel claims about &#8220;cash payments&#8221; \u2062he said Willis gave him to reimburse\u2062 him \u200cfor the trips he paid for them to take together.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been very \u200canxious to\u200d have this \u200dconversation with \u2063you \u200dtoday. So I ran to the courtroom,&#8221; Willis\u200c told Ashleigh\u2064 Merchant, the defense attorney who pressed\u2062 her on \u200ballegations of an improper relationship between her and\u200c Wade, at the start of her testimony.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Merchant&#8217;s client, \u2064Trump co-defendant Mike Roman, is seeking \u2063to \u2064have Willis\u200c disqualified \u200cover allegations that the pair inappropriately gained from \u2063each other \u2063by being \u2064engaged in a romantic affair\u2062 while Wade was on Willis&#8217;s\u2062 payroll.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Willis snapped at\u2062 Merchant as the defense attorney began to\u2062 question Willis during \u2062the hearing, saying that questions she was asking \u2063were based on lies.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s\u2063 ridiculous that \u2062you lied on Monday and yet \u200chere we still \u2064are,&#8221; Willis \u2062said, referring to a hearing in the case earlier this week.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to Willis taking the stand, Wade testified \u200cthat Willis on multiple occasions reimbursed him with cash for trips that\u200b he \u200bpurchased through his credit card. \u200dBut\u200b when asked by defense attorney Craig Gillen whether he had any records to \u2063corroborate his claims, Wade confirmed he did not have a single deposit slip to support his claim that\u2064 he was paid by Willis.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Willis sought to cast doubt \u2062on the lack of any record to\u200c support her reimbursements to Wade for travel, including an October 2022 \u2062cruise\u200c she attended with Wade \u2063and\u200c his mother.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Wade &#8220;calls his \u2062travel agent. He calls his cruise agent. \u200dThey do whatever he tells them he likes on \u2063a first-name basis with these people. They do it and then he tells me how much it\u200d is, \u200cand \u2063I&#8217;ll give him the money back,&#8221; Willis\u200d said of her reimbursement patterns for the trips.<\/p>\n<p>Court filings indicated that Wade has been paid more than $650,000 over three years for his \u200cwork on the Trump election\u2062 interference investigation. Defense attorneys have \u200bsaid that Willis improperly gained \u200dfrom Wade&#8217;s paycheck \u2063because he took her on\u200d several vacations after receiving taxpayer money.<\/p>\n<p>Anna Cross,\u200b an attorney \u2064for Willis&#8217;s office, ran down Wade&#8217;s invoices\u200d that itemized payments for his work and\u200c even\u200d suggested that Wade \u200dwas underpaid.<\/p>\n<p>Wade at one point said there were &#8220;so many \u200chours here that I worked that I\u2063 couldn&#8217;t\u2064 get paid for.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bstakes in the case are \u2063enormous for Willis, who indicted Trump\u200b and 18 other\u200d defendants\u2063 last August in a\u2062 racketeering case for allegedly attempting to \u2063subvert the\u200d 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>Superior Court \u200cJudge Scott McAfee&#8217;s options include removing Willis and Wade from the case, depending on\u200d what they say and their believability about \u200dwhen\u200d the\u2062 relationship began and if Willis \u2064financially benefitted from hiring Wade.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Robin Yeartie, a \u2064former\u2063 friend of \u2063Willis, testified she was aware of the romantic relationship and witnessed physical\u2064 affection between Willis and special prosecutor\u2064 Wade &#8220;soon after&#8221; the pair met in 2019,\u2064 contradicting a sworn affidavit\u200b Wade wrote\u200b earlier this \u2062month saying the \u2063relationship began\u200c after Willis hired him. Willis appointed Wade to work on the Trump case in November\u2062 2021.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Mr. Wade is\u2063 my friend right \u2063now. Mr. Wade, I would say, has been my friend since 2020. I think he \u200dstarted out as like a mentor and a \u2062professional colleague,&#8221; Willis said, revealing for the first time that the romantic relationship with \u200cWade \u2062ended in &#8220;late summer of 2023.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mr.\u200d Wade,\u2062 he&#8217;s\u200b a \u2063man. \u200bHe probably\u2064 would probably say [it ended] in June\u2064 or July. I would say we \u200dhad a\u200c tough conversation in \u2062August,&#8221;\u200c Willis said.<\/p>\n<p>Willis is expected to testify further, but McAfee commenced a break \u200bafter cross-talk erupted between \u200dWillis and\u200c Merchant, with Willis yelling, &#8220;It is \u2063a\u2062 lie!&#8221; \u2062after Merchant asked if Wade ever stayed at her home.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;He \u200dnever\u2062 came to my \u200chouse \u200cin 2020. &#8230; It is certainly a lie that he lived with\u2062 me,&#8221; Willis said.<\/p>\n<p>The judge issued a caution to \u200bWillis that he would strike her testimony if she \u2062continued to\u200b fail to answer specific questions asked by Merchant.<\/p>\n<p>Watch the live hearing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/watch-live-georgia-election-interference-case-hearing\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> What specific evidence did Wade provide to support his claims\u200b of unpaid work?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Wasn&#8217;t paid for.&#8221; However, when pressed for specific examples of unpaid work, he was unable to provide any.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, defense attorneys raised concerns about the credibility of Wade&#8217;s testimony, pointing out inconsistencies in his statements and highlighting his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/minneapolis-ex-cop-chauvin-convicted-of-murder-in-floyd-case\/\" title=\"Minneapolis Ex-Cop Chauvin Convicted of Murder in Floyd Case\">previous criminal convictions<\/a>. They\u200c argued \u200bthat his \u200dclaims should not be trusted without\u2062 solid evidence to support them.<\/p>\n<p>The hearing also addressed allegations of a biased investigation by Willis and\u2064 her team. \u200dDefense\u2063 attorneys argued that \u200dWillis and her office had displayed a clear bias against Trump and his allies, \u2062which compromised the\u200b fairness of the case. They cited instances where Willis \u2064made public statements\u200b expressing her personal opinions\u200c on the\u200b matter, undermining the presumption of innocence.<\/p>\n<p>In response, Willis defended her \u200dactions, stating that she had acted within the scope of her duties as a prosecutor. She asserted that her personal beliefs did not influence her decision-making in the case and that she had \u2064followed the evidence\u200d objectively.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome of the evidentiary \u200chearing will determine whether Willis \u200cwill\u200d be\u200c disqualified from the case. If she is disqualified, the prosecution&#8217;s case against Trump and his allies in Georgia could face significant setbacks. However,\u2062 if \u200bthe judge rules \u200cin favor of Willis, the trial \u2064will proceed \u2063as planned.<\/p>\n<p>This criminal trial \u2062in Georgia is\u200c just one of the legal challenges that former President Donald Trump is currently facing. It highlights the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-farmers-angry-about-green-rules-helped-spur-dutch-governments-collapse\/\" title=\"Farmers' fury over green regulations triggers Dutch government's downfall.\">ongoing controversies surrounding<\/a> his presidency and \u200bthe \u2064contentious aftermath of the\u200d 2020 election.<\/p>\n<p>As the proceedings continue, the eyes of the nation remain on this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/jury-selection-for-chauvin-trial-delayed\/\" title=\"Jury selection for Chauvin trial delayed\">high-profile trial<\/a>. The outcome will have significant implications not only for\u2064 former President Trump but also for \u2063the integrity of \u2062the justice system and the future of\u2063 American politics.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former President Donald Trump may face a criminal trial in Georgia, putting Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis in a tough spot. Willis, who initiated the case against Trump and his allies for election subversion, was summoned to testify in a hearing aiming to disqualify her from the case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2177416,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24046732273953-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2177415","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/AP24046732273953-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177415","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2177415"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2177415\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2177416"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2177415"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2177415"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2177415"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}