Fani Willis' Father Grilled About Her Relationship

Hearing continues in Georgia over misconduct allegations related to Trump case
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 16, 2024 2:09 PM CST
Fani Willis' Father Grilled About Her Relationship
John Floyd, father of Fulton District Attorney Fani Willis, testifies Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Atlanta.   (Alyssa Pointer/Pool Photo via AP)

Georgia prosecutors sought to knock down misconduct allegations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Friday, calling her father to the witness stand to testify about his knowledge of her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to lead Donald Trump's case:

  • On the second day of the extraordinary hearing that could result in Willis and her office being removed from the case against the former president, Willis' father testified that he had not met special prosecutor Nathan Wade until last year and didn't find out until weeks ago that they had been in a relationship. Attorneys for those allied with Trump have been trying to show that the relationship existed before Willis appointed Wade and that she has a financial conflict of interest as a result, per the AP.
  • Willis' father, John Floyd, told the court that he has long advised his daughter to keep plenty of cash at home. (This relates to Willis reimbursing Wade for various expenses.) "Maybe, and excuse me your honor, I'm not trying to be racist, but it's a black thing," Floyd said, per CNN. "I was trained, and most black folks, they hide cash or they keep cash, and I was trained you always keep some cash."
  • He also spoke of death threats to her over the case: "They said they were going to blow up the house, they were going to kill me, they were going to kill my grandchildren. … I was concerned for her safety."

  • Prosecutors also sought to bolster Willis' testimony that Wade was not the district attorney's first choice to lead the case against Trump. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes testified that Willis approached him in 2021 about serving as special prosecutor, but that he turned it down.
  • Their testimony came after prosecutors opted not to put Willis back on the witness stand Friday, avoiding the spectacle of more deeply personal testimony from the top prosecutor as she fights a defense effort to derail the high-stakes case.
  • Testimony may continue into next week, notes the New York Times.
(More Fani Willis stories.)

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