‘I Certainly Do Not Consider Her a Friend Now’: Fani Willis Testifies About Feeling ‘Betrayed’ By Ex-Friend Who Accused Her of Lying to Court
Fulton Country District Attorney Fani Willis took the stand on Thursday in an evidentiary hearing centered on allegations she engaged in a romantic relationship with a special prosecutor involved her election racketeering case, and sparks flew almost immediately.
The allegations against Willis stem from a motion filed by one of Donald Trump’s co-defendants, Mike Roman, in the election racketeering case, which is based on the former president’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential results in Georgia. Willis and Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade previously claimed they began a relationship in 2022, but a witness on Thursday contradicted this, saying they were in a relationship in 2019 after they met at a conference.
When that witness, Robin Yeartie, was brought up, Willis made it clear she does not consider her a friend now, saying she “betrayed” her.
“I have not spoken to Robin in over a year,” Willis told Roman’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant. “I certainly do not consider her a friend now, I think that she, you know, there’s a saying, no good deed goes unpunished and I think that she’d betrayed our friendship.”
Willis said it was “highly offensive” she would be accused of sleeping with someone the first day they met. Wade testified that he and Willis had a professional relationship through the years after meeting in 2019 and they were not in a relationship in 2020 or 2021 because he was battling cancer and focused on his health.
Wade was married, but he argued on Thursday that it was effectively over in 2015 and only a legal and co-parenting relationship.
Yeartie, a former friend of Willis who briefly worked in her district attorney’s office, testified earlier on Thursday that Willis and Wade were in a relationship in 2019, which would contradict their claim that the relationship began in 2022, after he came aboard the Trump case.
Yeartie testified she saw Willis and Wade “hugging” and “kissing” before November 2021, which is when Wade was hired by Willis. Yeartie did not detail why she left Willis’ office, but said there was a situation where she could either resign or be terminated.
According to Willis, she and Yeartie hung out when both attended separate colleges and they reconnected after meeting in Atlanta roughly a decade ago. Willis could go on to rent a condo from Yeartie, claiming on Thursday the move for her was due to threats related to her job and work on gang cases.
Willis chose to give her Thursday testimony after Wade was on the stand, telling the court she had been “pacing” in her office and “ran over” to the courthouse to address what she called “lies” being pushed by Roman’s legal team.
If Roman’s motion is granted and Willis is found to have a conflict of interest, she would be removed from the case, casting major doubt on whether the racketeering charges will actually move forward with another office.
Watch above via CNN.
