Fani Wilis' Father on Her Having Cash at Home: 'It's a Black Thing'

John Clifford Floyd III, the father of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, said Friday under oath that "it's a Black thing" for individuals to keep months' worth of cash stored in their homes.

He testified as part of a hearing where defense prosecutors are seeking to have his daughter removed from former President Donald Trump's election interference case over allegations about her romantic relationship with Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade.

The Context:

Willis' investigation into purported election interference in Georgia led to a grand jury indicting the former president and 18 others in his orbit, accusing them of violating the state's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act as part of a 41-count indictment. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case and pleaded not guilty to the 13 charges against him.

Attorneys representing Michael Roman, a co-defendant in the Georgia case, are seeking to disqualify Willis from the case over her relationship with Wade, an attorney she brought onto the prosecution.

Defense lawyers, meanwhile, alleged the pair benefited financially from taxpayers' money. Willis admitted to having a personal relationship with Wade, but has argued it is not grounds to disqualify her from the Trump case. She has denied all wrongdoing.

Newsweek has reached out to Willis' office and to legal experts for comment.

What We Know:

Floyd, a criminal defense lawyer by trade, was asked on the stand if his daughter had ever mentioned "a large savings of cash" to him, to which he replied, "No, no."

"Maybe, and excuse me, Your Honor, I'm not trying to be racist but—it's a Black thing," Floyd said. "I was trained, and most Black folks hide cash or they keep cash. You always keep some cash because I've been places and just because of the color of my skin..."

He discussed an experience that changed his outlook in terms of keeping cash, relaying a story about how he had a fellowship at Harvard when Willis was around 3 years old. He said he tried to pay for a restaurant tab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a credit card and was denied by his waiter.

Floyd then said he's always kept cash and has told his daughter to keep six months' worth of cash, adding that he has three safes in his house, which includes material from clients that he wants to protect.

"As a matter of fact, I gave my daughter her first cash box and always told her to keep some cash," he added.

Floyd also testified that he did not meet Wade until 2023, when a reporter interviewed him about a year ago. "That's the first time I met him," he said.

Willis mentioned her father on the stand on Thursday, saying that he taught her about the importance of having cash on hand. She reiterated what was said in his testimony, that he advocated for her to keep enough cash available for a six-month period, which she admitted was advice she didn't always follow.

However, she mentioned that there have been times when she's kept up to $15,000 in her home, including additional cash when traveling.

Floyd raised his daughter in both California and Washington, D.C., according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, letting her accompany him to court on certain days to allow her to monitor him defending his clients. He also reportedly encouraged her to join the prosecutor's office in the hope she could one day become a judge.

The pair also reportedly remain close and speak to one another upwards of 10 times per day on the phone. Willis continually referred to him as "daddy" while on the stand on Thursday.

Views:

Patricia Crouse, a political science practitioner in residence at the University of New Haven, told Newsweek on Friday that the disqualification attempts against Willis "is definitely a case of political optics over substance."

"If this case didn't involve such high-profile defendants, the story would not be frontpage news," Crouse said. "But because it does, especially Trump, substance is going to take a back seat to optics."

She added that it's "in the best interest of everyone" for Willis to recuse herself due to the potential over-arching effects on the criminal case.

"By not doing so, she allows the defendants to accuse the process of being tainted and thus any outcome questionable," Crouse said. "Trump would use this to his advantage, especially with the media. If she stays, it risks everything they have built on so far."

Meanwhile, Floyd's comments garnered attention on X, formerly Twitter.

"This hearing in a weird/strange way, has done more to educate the public, especially white folks about some aspects of black culture and their experiences that they could NEVER learn in a classroom as much as they tried," user @EthanHiguain wrote.

"John Floyd is giving these white folks an education in how racist white society is about Black people's money, telling a story about having his credit cards refused at a restaurant," commented @VABVOX.

One user said it's not just a "Black thing," but an American one.

"John Floyd says holding large numbers of cash, it's a Black thing. It's an American thing," user @Andreafreedom76 wrote. "My father-in-law carried large sums of money for various reasons when traveling in the United States. When you travel abroad, the best advice is to carry a smaller sum of money for returning to the states."

What's Next?

Later in the day, the court is expected to hear testimony from Terrence Bradley, Wade's law partner, who was also his divorce attorney. Fulton County special prosecutor Anna Cross, who is representing the county district attorney's office, is also expected to call witnesses.

Once the hearing concludes, Judge Scott McAfee will determine whether Willis will be removed from the case. If she is, the case would not be dismissed. Instead, another district attorney or state Attorney General Christopher Carr, a Republican, could take over the prosecution.

Update 02/16/24, 1:40 p.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from Crouse.