Fani Willis yelled from the witness stand during heated questioning.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis said Thursday during heated questioning that she never told anyone in her office about her relationship with her top special prosecutor in the Trump case.
The prosecutor said that she never traveled to Washington, D.C. with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, and never told anyone at her work who she was dating—while he was the special prosecutor in the case.
“I never told people at work who I am dating,” she said in response to a question regarding whether she told other prosecutors about their relationship.
Earlier Thursday, she yelled, “It is a lie! It is a lie!” at the defense attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, who was questioning her about whether Mr. Wade ever slept at her home. “You’ve been intrusive into people’s personal lives,” Ms. Willis said, adding: “You’re confused, you think I’m on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
The court hearing Thursday in Fulton County related to allegations made last month that she engaged in an allegedly improper relationship with Mr. Wade, who she appointed as special prosecutor in her case against former President Donald Trump and other co-defendants. One of those co-defendants, Michael Roman, who is represented by Ms. Merchant, said their relationship enabled Ms. Willis to benefit from taxpayer funds via Mr. Wade, who allegedly took her on vacations.
“You lied on Monday and yet here we are,” Ms. Willis said to Ms. Merchant, adding that their relationship did not begin before 2022. “How dishonest you were with the court on Monday, I’m actually surprised the hearing continued. But since it did here I am.”
The district attorney, an elected Democrat, said minutes later in court that she found it “extremely offensive” that Ms. Merchant suggested that she was involved romantically with Mr. Wade during a conference in October 2019. “I very much want to be here. I am not a hostile witness,” she added. “Ms. Merchant’s interests are contrary to democracy, your honor, not to mine.”
