CNN legal analyst Michael Moore on Friday cast doubt on Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ Thursday testimony in which she claimed she always reimbursed her romantic partner with cash.
Willis testified during a hearing on whether she should be disqualified from her election interference case against former President Donald Trump for improperly benefiting financially from appointing special prosecutor Nathan Wade to the case. They both asserted Willis reimbursed Wade with cash for their vacations and outings, so there was no record of it, which Moore described as “convenient” on “CNN This Morning.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Fani Willis Failed To Disclose Airline Ticket Paid For By Alleged Lover, Docs Show)
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Moore criticized both the defense lawyers and Willis for their performances during Thursday’s hearing.
“I think there were things they could have been pushed a lot harder on and maybe … delved into specifics a little bit more, especially when [we] start talking about things as nebulous as cash payments and there‘s no way to track it,” Moore said about the questioning. “And how much cash was paid? What, did you really just pay for the $150 to negotiate the taxi or … what did you do with the $4,000 you took? I think they could have pushed that.”
Fani Willis Hearing. Credit: Screenshot/YouTube/C-SPAN
“I also thought that it just was not credible. It reminded me of watching a criminal defendant take the stand. They don‘t have to do that. You see it and you can tell that the defendant thinks that they‘re smarter than every lawyer in the room. And it just becomes a train wreck. And so that‘s sort of how I felt, this just went off the track,” he said about the testimony.
Wade testified he has only one receipt showing Willis reimbursed him for travel expenses because she always paid him in cash. Willis later asserted she “always” has cash at her residence, claiming it is a habit her father instilled in her.
“I have a hard time just thinking about a DA paying everything in cash, nothing wrong with cash, but it‘s convenient right now … Her indignation would have seemed a lot more sincere had she come out about two months ago. But remember, even as she is there saying she wants to get to the truth and she‘s shaking the documents and the court filings around in front of everybody, her office is fighting everything. They’re fighting every witness subpoena. They don‘t want the records to come in, she‘s refusing to let bank records and other things come in. They‘re hiding behind the privilege from [Wade’s] divorce lawyer who they‘re claiming was a friend, but maybe a divorce lawyer, so we really shouldn’t have to say anything.”
…Judge issued a caution to Willis that he will strike her testimony if she continues to fail to answer specific questions…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) February 15, 2024
Willis erupted in rage during the hearing, prompting Judge Scott McAfee to call a five-minute break. She faced questions on whether Wade visited her residence and suddenly burst into anger, holding up documents as examples to prove that the allegations were false.
“So let’s be clear ’cause you lied in this … let me tell you which one you lied in … Right here. I think you lied right here.” Willis said, raising the documents.
Robin Yeartie, Willis’ former close friend who previously worked in the district attorney’s office, testified during the hearing that Willis’ relationship with Wade began soon after they met at a conference for municipal court judges in 2019. Yeartie’s testimony contradicts how they portrayed their relationship in court filings as beginning following Wade’s contract starting in 2022.
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