The former friend of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified that Willis and the special prosecutor she hired for the Georgia election interference case started dating well before 2022.
During a hearing on Feb. 15, Robin Bryant-Yeartie said Willis and Nathan Wade began dating shortly after meeting at a conference in 2019 — a major change from Wade’s testimony stating their relationship began after he was hired in 2021. The self-described former friend said she has “no doubt” the romantic element of their relationship started before Wade was hired by Willis’ office.
“You have no doubt that their romantic relationship was in effect from 2019 until the last time you spoke with her?” defense attorney Alison Merchant asked.
Bryant-Yeartie responded with “no doubt.”
“And that’s based on your personal observations and… speaking with them and seeing them together and things like that?” Merchant asked. “Yes,” the witness said.
Willis was accused of participating in an affair with Wade by his ex-wife, Jocelyn. Her accusations mirrored those of Trump co-defendant Michael Roman who alleged Wade spent funds paid to him by Willis’ office for lavish trips
to Napa Valley and Caribbean cruises. Roman then filed a motion to have Willis and Wade removed from the controversial case.Willis admitted to the relationship but argued that there were no grounds to dismiss the case or to remove her from the prosecution. In defense of his relationship with Willis, Wade claimed he never shared a home, financial accounts, or household expenses with her. He described both himself and Willis as “financially independent professionals; expenses or personal travel were roughly divided equally between us.”
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee heard arguments from both sides over whether the evidence provided was grounds for disqualification. According to Newsweek
, the issues he wants explored at the hearing are “whether a relationship existed, whether that relationship was romantic or non romantic in nature, when it formed and whether it continues.”Willis and Bryant-Yeartie were college friends after meeting in the early 1990s. The friendship ended in 2022 once Bryant-Yeartie was terminated from her job at the district attorney’s office.
Tensions rose after Wade’s divorce attorney, Terrence Bradley, refused to testify whether he had any prior knowledge of
when the relationship began. Bradley claims after consulting with the Georgia bar, he couldn’t discuss any communications with his former client. McAfee said Bradley was making “a broader representation of attorney-client privilege than I’ve ever heard.”RELATED CONTENT: Judge Says Fani Willis’ Affair Could Put Her In Jeopardy Of Being ‘Disqualified’ From The Case