ATLANTA – a lawyer for one of the former presidents Donald Trump‘s defendants in Georgia want the judge to preside wrong move DA Fanie vs. Fulton County attorney to hear new witness testify about when Willis began romantic relationship with special prosecutor in election meddling case.
In a Monday filing, attorneys for Trump’s co-defendant David Shafer said a potential witness spoke about conversations he had with Terrence Bradley, the chief deputy attorney general of the Cobb County DA’s office. partner and divorce attorney.
According to the filing, Cindy Yeager told attorneys that Bradley told her the relationship between Willis and Wade began before November 2021, when Wade was hired as a special prosecutor in the Trump case.
The document does not include Yeager’s sworn affidavit about his conversations with Bradley, and there is no indication that he had any personal knowledge of Willis and Wade’s relationship.
It’s unclear what effect, if any, the notice will have on Willis’ efforts to disqualify him from prosecuting the election interference case. Judge Scott McAfee held several days of evidentiary hearings last month in which both sides called witnesses to testify. He has so far denied requests from the DA’s office and the defense to reopen evidence in the case.
Yeager was never subpoenaed or called to the stand during last month’s hearing.
Trump and several of his co-defendants allege that Willis benefited financially from hiring Wade as special prosecutor in the case. They are now asking McAfee to drop the charges.
Both Willis and Wade have admitted to a personal relationship, but testified that it didn’t begin until 2022 — after Wade began working on the case.
In a filing Monday, Shafer’s attorneys, Craig Gillen and Holly Pierson, said that if the judge reopens evidence on the misconduct claim, their client will testify about conversations between Yeager and Bradley between August 2023 and January of this year.
Yeager said Shafer told him that Bradley told him that Willis and Wade “had Ms. Willis running for district attorney from 2019 to 2020 and that Bradley had personal knowledge of the relationship.”
Bradley testified last week that he had no such information.
According to the filing, Yeager will also testify that once in Bradley’s office, Willis called him “in response to an article published about how much money was being paid to Mr. Wade and his law partners in this case. Ms. Yeager heard District Attorney Willis tell Mr. Bradley: “They’re coming after us. There is no need to talk to them about us.”
A spokeswoman for Willis’ office declined to comment on the new filing. Willis and Wade have denied any wrongdoing, and Adam Abbate of the DA’s office called the allegations of wrongdoing against Willis “an attempt to tarnish his reputation.”
McAfee said in closing arguments Friday on the lawsuits that he expects to rule within the next two weeks.
If Willis is disbarred for allegations of misconduct, his entire office will be disqualified also. In such a scenario, the election interference case is likely to end in Cobb County.
Blayne Alexander reported from Atlanta and Dareh Gregorian reported from New York.
Katie S. Phang contributed.