How revelations about a prosecutor’s romance turned the Georgia Trump case upside down
January 8, 2024
Ashleigh B. Merchant, an attorney for one of the defendants in the Georgia election interference case, charges in court that Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis had a “clandestine” relationship with Nathan J. Wade, a lawyer she hired to help manage the prosecution.
January 14
During a church service in Atlanta, dedicated to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Ms. Willis says racism is a factor in the investigation into her hiring of Mr. Wade. She describes Mr Wade’s credentials as “impeccable” and says they are only being questioned because he is black.
February 2
Ms. Willis acknowledged in a court filing that she has a “personal relationship” with Mr. Wade, but denounced the conflict of interest allegations as “fantastic theories and gross speculation” and said there was no reason to disqualify her or her office from prosecuting on the House. Trump case. She adds that neither of them received any financial benefit from the relationship. An affidavit from Mr. Wade claims the romantic relationship only began after he was hired.
15 February
The first day of testimony begins with a series of hearings examining the relationship.
A former friend of Ms Willis, Robin Bryant-Yeartie, says she has “no doubt” the two began a romantic relationship earlier than they said. But Mr Wade, who has been testifying for several hours, strongly denies Ms Bryant-Yeartie’s claim.
Ms Willis is also taking the stand and strongly refuting suggestions that she has benefited financially from the relationship.
February 16
On the second day of testimony, attorneys questioned Terrence Bradley, a former attorney for Mr. Wade who also served as his divorce attorney. He is questioned for more than two hours, but defense lawyers are unable to produce anything to show that Mr. Wade was in a relationship with Ms. Willis when she hired him.
February 23
In a lawsuit, lawyers for former President Donald J. Trump present an affidavit detailing phone records they say include about 12,000 calls and text messages between Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade in the first eleven months of 2021. The affidavit details An investigator hired by Mr. Trump’s lawyers says his cellphone location data showed that Mr. Wade was sometimes near Ms. Willis’ home from late at night until dawn.
In a separate filing, Ms. Willis’ office refuted the Trump team’s analysis of the data, saying the data “does not prove that Special Counsel Wade was ever at a particular location or address.”
February 29
Hundreds of text messages obtained by The New York Times show that Mr. Bradley helped Ms. Merchant, the lawyer, expose the relationship between the two accusers. The messages refute the impression he left on the witness stand that he knew virtually nothing about the romance.
March 1
In final arguments before the judge, attorneys argue that even the appearance of a conflict of interest should be enough to disqualify Ms. Willis from the case. A lawyer for Ms. Willis responds that only an actual conflict of interest could be a reason to disqualify her.
4th of March
In a court filing, lawyers for David J. Shafer, a defendant in the Trump case, say that according to Cindi Lee Yeager, a deputy district attorney in neighboring Cobb County, Georgia, Mr. Bradley told her that the relationship between the prosecutors started before Mr. Wade started working for Ms. Willis.
Mar. 15
The judge rules that Ms. Willis can stay on the case, but only if Mr. Wade withdraws. The ruling strikes a middle ground between removing Ms. Willis for a conflict of interest and her full vindication, with the judge sharply criticizing her behavior. With delays piling up, the case is unlikely to go to trial before the 2024 presidential election.