Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said that the Fulton County district attorney’s prosecution of former President Donald Trump and other defendants is looking more political, coming as allegations have rocked the county prosecutor’s office that are threatening to derail the case.
Earlier this month, a co-defendant filed a court motion alleging that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade had a secret relationship. The case has seen several hearings, and the judge has indicated that Willis might be disqualified as a result.
“I gotta be careful about what I say here, because I was subpoenaed by Fani, with Willis in the special grand jury,” Mr. Kemp told NewsNation.
“But it’s hard to believe that a process that I think many people—including myself—believe is very political, regardless of the merits behind the case, has gotten even more political now because of her actions and those of Mr. Wade and others,” he added.
Mr. Kemp, a Republican, did not provide any further specifics about the case. Nonetheless, he is confident that the Fulton County judge will make the appropriate ruling.
“I’m very confident Judge McAfee will make a good decision and then we can go from there,” he told the outlet.
Terrence Bradley, a former divorce attorney for Mr. Wade, was called to the witness stand to testify about the relationship between Willis and Wade, a fact confirmed by both parties. Bradley denied knowledge of when their relationship began, contradicting his earlier testimony.
“I do not have knowledge of it starting or when it started,” he said.
On Tuesday, Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney representing Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, read a text message aloud. In the message, she had asked Mr. Bradley whether he believed Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade began dating before Ms. Willis hired Mr. Wade. Mr. Bradley responded with a firm “Absolutely.”
In legal documents and during court testimony, Ms. Willis has strongly pushed back on allegations that her relationship with Mr. Wade began before he was hired. She has also denied accusations of financial gain from the arrangement.
Defense attorneys have asserted that she went on vacations with Mr. Wade during their relationship and had him cover the expenses for these trips.
Another witness who testified earlier, a former friend of Ms. Willis who worked in her office, claimed to have seen Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade “hugging” and “kissing” in 2019, several years before the couple claimed their relationship began. The woman, Robin Yeartie, also mentioned that she owned the condo where Ms. Willis had lived.
Last week, President Trump’s attorneys submitted an affidavit from a private investigator, Charles Mittelstadt, who produced an analysis of Mr. Wade’s cellphone that showed they exchanged over 10,000 texts and phone calls before he was hired by the office and were sent many months before he was hired.
His report also suggested that Mr. Wade may have stayed overnight at her condo several times, while he stated he never stayed the night during his testimony.
Last week, the district attorney’s office responded to the report in court documents, dismissing it as lacking credibility.
Several days later, lawyers representing Trump submitted a new motion, contending that Ms. Willis should testify once again.
The judge has set a March 1 date for the next hearing.
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