Closing arguments wrapped in Georgia on Friday, in one of the most closely watched legal proceedings in the nation. The stakes could not be any higher for Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis who is fighting not only to remain on the Georgia Election interference case, but for her reputation and legal career.
Attorneys for former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants argued that Willis’ relationship with special counsel Nathan Wade created the “appearance of a conflict of interest.”
Trump’s “star witness,” Terrence Bradley, who is also Wade’s former law partner, appeared in court on Tuesday. But it was hardly the slam dunk Trump world had been hyping up.
At issue in Bradley’s testimony was the timeline of Wade and Willis’ relationship — which they’ve both testified under oath began after he started working on her team. If they’re lying about the timeline it could put both of their legal careers in serious jeopardy, but Trump’s team would have to prove it first.
During his testimony, Bradley acknowledged that he texted Trump’s attorney that Willis and Wade’s relationship “absolutely” began before she hired him.
However, the rest of his testimony was less beneficial to The Trump team. Bradley testified that he had no personal knowledge of the relationship between Willis and Wade and that he was “speculating” about the timeline. “I never witnessed anything,” Bradley told the courtroom. He also said he couldn’t recall any specific dates related to the start of their relationship.
Trump’s legal team had been billing Bradley as a star witness. But his vague answers didn’t exactly scream pivotal testimony.
At Friday’s hearing, his legal team said that Bradley’s messages proved that the relationship had begun prior to Wade’s hiring. But the Judge seemed skeptical.
“Is it ever definitively shown how he knew this and that he actually did know it?” the judge asked. “Other than just an assertion outright? ‘Absolutely.’ Usually if a state has a witness that goes sideways, they’ve got him locked in. They’ve sat down with a detective and got a full statement. We don’t have that here.”
The judge’s skepticism aside, the fact that this is happening at all screams trouble for Willis. And we’ll all have to wait and see how this ruling shakes out.