Key Witness Says Prior Claims About Fani Willis-Nathan Wade Relationship Were 'Speculation'

A witness in the case to dismiss Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney Fani Willis from prosecuting Donald Trump's election interference case said Tuesday that comments he made about Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade's relationship were "speculation."

The Details: In previous text messages, a former friend of Wade and attorney Terrance Bradley said he "absolutely" believed Willis and Wade began dating in 2019. On Tuesday in court, he said he had "no direct knowledge" of when their relationship began. Willis and Wade testified that they didn’t start dating until 2022, months after Willis hired him as special prosecutor for the Trump case.

For Context: Lawyers for Trump say Willis and Wade had an improper affair and lied about when their relationship began, and should be disqualified from the case. If Willis is removed, a nonpartisan council would need to appoint a new attorney to the case. The new attorney could continue prosecuting Trump or drop the charges.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum framed Willis's story as questionable, while also suggesting Bradley's testimony irked defense attorneys. The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) said Bradley's testimony was "frustrating" for "attorneys who had claimed his testimony would 'refute' claims by Willis and Wade." The Washington Times (Lean Right) said Bradley "attempted Tuesday to walk back his incriminating timeline" of the relationship and highlighted how defense attorneys "accused Mr. Bradley of changing his story and clamming up on the stand to protect" Willis and Wade.