Terrence Bradley testified for about two hours on Tuesday in the misconduct hearing about the prosecutors overseeing Donald Trump's 2020 election subversion case in Georgia.
Bradley is the former law partner and divorce attorney for Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade, and he's testifying about Wade's romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Attorneys representing Trump and other defendants argue that the romantic involvement between Wade and Willis has led to a conflict of interest since she hired her romantic partner, and they therefore seek to have Willis disqualified from the case.
Earlier this month, Bradley declined to answer questions about Wade and Willis, citing attorney-client privilege. But in a private session Monday before Judge Scott McAfee of Fulton County Superior Court, some of Bradley's privileged information was deemed unprotected. Consequently, McAfee instructed Bradley to return to the witness stand Tuesday to face further questioning from defense attorneys.
Defense attorneys say Willis hired Wade and then profited off of their relationship. But so far, there has been nothing to prove that; instead, defense attorneys are now focused on when that relationship began and whether Willis and Wade lied to the court. When questioned about a text suggesting the relationship started when Willis was a judge, Bradley dismissed it as "speculation," frustrating defense lawyers who essentially accused him of lying on the stand.
“You do in fact know when it started. And you don’t want to testify to that in court, that’s the best explanation, isn’t it?" Trump attorney Steve Sadow asked. "That’s the true explanation because you don't want to admit it in court, correct?”
Both Willis and Wade testified under oath that they did not start dating until after he was appointed as special prosecutor in Nov. 2021, but a court filing earlier this month raised new questions about their relationship.
Cellphone data obtained by Trump's legal team showed Wade visited Willis' neighborhood at least 35 times in the 11 months before Willis hired him in late 2021. Twice, Wade arrived late at night and left early the following morning.
The data shows about 2,000 calls and 12,000 text messages between Wade and Willis from Jan. 2021 to Nov. 2021, contradicting their testimony on the timeline of their relationship.
In August, a Fulton County grand jury indicted Trump and 18 others for attempting to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Four pleaded guilty, while Trump and the remaining 14 pleaded not guilty.
If Willis is removed from the case, a nonpartisan council would have to appoint a replacement attorney, who would then decide whether to continue pursuing the case against those who pleaded not guilty or to drop it entirely.
McAfee plans to hear arguments on Friday on the potential removal of Willis and her office from the case.
