Fani Willis' Father Could Be Her Savior

The father of Fani Willis, who is leading efforts to prosecute former President Donald Trump in Georgia, will testify later this week at a hearing to examine her relationship with attorney Nathan Wade.

Willis, the Fulton County district attorney, is running the case against Trump and 18 others who are accused in a 41-count indictment of trying to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia. The former president has pleaded not guilty to all 13 charges against him and said the case is politically motivated.

In recent weeks, the focus has moved away from the accused to the prosecutors. Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing Trump's trial, scheduled a hearing on February 15 after claims emerged that Willis had a romantic relationship with Wade, a special prosecutor she hired in the case. Newsweek reached out to Willis via LinkedIn for comment.

Former Trump staffer and co-defendant Michael Roman first made accusations about Willis and sought to disqualify her and Wade from the trial, saying the pair had benefited financially from taxpayers' money. Willis and Wade later admitted they had a romantic relationship, but denied a conflict of interest. Roman, in response, issued new claims saying the pair's relationship started earlier than they had disclosed.

At a Superior Court hearing on Monday, ahead of Thursday's hearing, prosecutor Anna Cross said that Willis' father, John C. Floyd III, would be called to the stand in her defense because she said he lived with her at the time she is accused of living with Wade. Floyd, who is also an attorney, will testify remotely from California.

Newsweek was unable to find contact details for Floyd. If her father confirms they lived together at the time Roman said Wade and Willis cohabited, it will undermine their argument.

Willis and Floyd are said to have a close relationship. In September, Willis told The New York Post she speaks to her father as often as 10 times a day.

"I have an absolutely amazing father and I'm very privileged to have been raised by such a great man," Willis told the publication. "My father taught me that every single person is entitled to dignity and respect no matter who they are — no matter their race, religion or socio-economic status.

"And those things run through my veins," she said. "It's the way I try to treat people every single day: They're entitled to dignity and respect no matter who they are."

At Thursday's hearing, Judge McAfee will determine if there is a legal conflict that justifies removing Willis' office from the case.

Speaking to Newsweek, Matthew Mangino, a former district attorney in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, said he didn't believe Willis would be removed from the case.

"I do not see a basis for removing DA Fani Willis," he said. "I have not observed that true conflict of interest exists. She received no monetary gain or wrongfully withheld evidence."

However, Judge McAfee said on Monday that it's "possible" Willis could be disqualified from the case.

During that hearing, he said: "The state has admitted a relationship existed. So what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit, again if there even was one. Because I think an evidentiary hearing must occur to establish the record on those core allegations."

McAfee clarified that Thursday's hearing would be limited to "whether a relationship existed, whether that relationship was romantic or non-romantic in nature, when it formed and whether it continues."

"That's only relevant because it's in combination with the question of the existence and extent of any benefit conveyed as a result of their relationship," he added

Lawyer Ashleigh Merchant said Wade's business partner, Terrence Bradley, will speak about the relationship between Wade and Willis. Merchant claims that the relationship began earlier than they disclosed.