By Kate Brumback and Alanna Durkin Richer
ATLANTA — A former friend and co-worker of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified Thursday that Willis’ romantic relationship with a special prosecutor began before she hired him to lead the election interference case against Donald Trump.
Robin Yeartie’s testimony directly contradicts Willis and Nathan Wade’s statements about their relationship, threatening to upend the case accusing Trump and others of conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia.
Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney representing Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, has described the relationship as a conflict of interest that should disqualify Willis — and her entire office — from the case. If that were to happen, 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.
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Merchant alleges that Willis personally profited from the case, paying Wade more than $650,000 for his work and then benefiting when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took together.
The judge refused to quash a subpoena for Wade and he took the witness stand after Yeartie’s testimony. He insisted that the pair didn’t start dating until after he was hired as special prosecutor in 2022. He also 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 to 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. He said their relationship was not a secret — just private — because they are “private people.”
Willis could also be forced to testify in the hearing, which is expected to…
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