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The hearing involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is "evolving into perhaps an ethical dumpster fire," according to Georgia attorney Philip Holloway.
"And by that I mean, if they can prove satisfactorily that she and/or Nathan Wade have made material misrepresentations to the court, that she could be in very big trouble," Holloway, the former assistant district attorney for Georgia's Cobb County, said on Fox News' The Faulkner Focus.
Holloway continued, "I think the judge did a good job on balance, though I do think he sort of surrendered control to DA Willis when she took the stand...she took the stand and came in there and she was obviously angry and she had a lot she wanted to vent about, but the witness stand, Harris, is not the place to be venting your emotions when you're angry."
Newsweek reached out to the Fulton County district attorney's office via email for comment.
The context:
On Thursday, Willis took the stand in a hearing where defense prosecutors are seeking to have her removed from former President Donald Trump's election interference case over allegations about her relationship with Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Trump and 18 other co-defendants have been accused of Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in connection to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in the case.
The allegations about Willis and Wade's relationship were originally made by one of Trump's co-defendants, Michael Roman.
What we know:
During her testimony on Thursday, Willis disputed claims that her relationship with Wade happened before he was appointed to the case against Trump.
Wade previously testified that he and Willis went on several trips together and she reimbursed him in cash after paying for them on his business credit card.
"There was tension always in our relationship, which is why I would give him his money back," Willis said during her testimony about reimbursing Wade.
Views:
In a Friday post on TruthSocial, Trump criticized Willis, saying, "Does anybody really believe that Fani Willis paid cash to her 'lover' whenever they took expensive 'trips' together. Really?"
"Where did she get the CASH? Pretty weak questioning yesterday!!! I guess they don't want to insult her. No way she can explain any of this corruption away!!!" Trump added.
What's next:
The hearing will continue on Friday but it is unlikely that Willis will take the stand again to testify.
Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the case, previously warned that it is "possible," that Willis could be disqualified from Trump's case.
Update 2/16/24, 11:40 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information and to note that Newsweek reached out to the Fulton County District Attorney's office for comment.
Update 2/16/24, 12:23 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more