Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ father and an attorney who worked with her ex-boyfriend took the stand in Georgia amid the ongoing misconduct hearing.
Willis has been accused of failing to disclose a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade who she hired as the special prosecutor on the election interference case being brought by Georgia against former President Donald Trump. Trump’s legal team argued that Willis benefited improperly as Wade used his income to pay for their vacations, including trips to Belize and Aruba.
John C. Floyd III, Willis’s father, testified today that he had lived with Willis after moving back to America from South Africa in the summer of 2019. The former Black Panther said he did not meet Wade until 2023 and defended his daughter’s practice of keeping thousands of dollars in cash at her home.
“Excuse me, your honor, I'm not trying to be racist, okay. But it's a black thing," Floyd said, per Fox News. Willis had testified her father had encouraged her to always have cash on hand.
“Most black folks, they hide cash,” said Floyd. “They keep cash.”
Judge Scott McAfee has agreed to meet with Terrance Bradley, a former business partner of Wade who also testified today, behind closed doors to discuss information that may be considered privileged but could establish a timeline of Wade and Willis’ relationship.
Willis took the stand on Feb. 15 in a bright pink dress that some social media users claimed was on backwards.
She maintained her innocence, seemed to resist confirming an exact timeline of her relationship with Wade, and defended her actions, including keeping large amounts of cash in her home.
“You’re confused,” Willis told Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for one the of 18 co-defendants of Trump, at one point, per POLITICO. “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.”
“Don’t get cute with me,” she told Merchant at a different point. Willis’s testimony was described by some outlets as combative or defiant. Merchant was the first attorney to reveal the DA’s relationship with Wade. Wade allegedly made $650,000 for his work on the case against Trump.
Wade confirmed his relationship with Willis but did not give specific details about the start of the relationship. He was hired as a special prosecutor in November 2021 and he and the DA have said they became romantically involved at some point in 2022.
According to AP News, “Wade … 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.”
Wade said that he paid for their vacations on his credit card, but Willis paid him back in cash for some of the expenses.
Willis is facing removal from the case against Trump. Her removal would trigger the disqualification of her entire office.
Donna Brazile, the former chair of the Democratic National Committee, told The New York Times that Willis “showed bad judgement” as a prosecutor.
“I can’t sit in judgment of her as a human being, but I can say, in terms of her role as a public prosecutor, yeah, she showed bad judgment,” said Brazile. “She is undergoing public scrutiny — she’s a public official.”
