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By Matthew Impelli
Life & Trends Reporter
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Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is facing a "very dangerous" set of circumstances after media outlets obtained text messages involving a witness in her disqualification case, according to a legal analyst.
On Thursday, Georgia Attorney and former assistant district attorney Philip Holloway spoke about recent text messages between Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for one of Donald Trump's co-defendants, and Terrence Bradley, a witness in the case and former attorney for Nathan Wade.
"All of this together adds up to a very dangerous set of circumstances for Ms. Willis if the judge believes that she has perpetuated a fraud on the court or if she has lied under oath," Holloway said while appearing on Fox News' America Reports. "The consequences for her could be very, very severe."
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The context:
Willis previously indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants in an alleged election interference case. They are accused of violating Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act in connection to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results in the state.
Michael Roman, one of Trump's co-defendants, previously filed a motion against Willis, seeking to have her disqualified, over allegations that she was engaged in a secret relationship with Nathan Wade, a special prosecutor hired by the Fulton County District Attorney's office, during the investigation into the former president.
What we know:
Earlier this week, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution obtained text messages between Merchant and Bradley, where the two discussed the case against Willis and her alleged relationship with Wade.
In one text message on January 5, just before Merchant filed her motion, she asked Bradley if he believed that the relationship started before Willis hired Wade.
"Absolutely," Bradley said in response, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
However, during the trial earlier this month, Willis and Wade both testified that their relationship began in the Spring of 2022, and Wade was hired as a special prosecutor in 2021, the Associated Press reported.
Additionally, during his testimony this week, Bradley testified that he had "no direct knowledge of when the relationship started."
Newsweek reached out to the Fulton County District Attorney's Office via email.
Views:
Trump has continued to criticize Willis amid the ongoing disqualification trial, while she has denied any wrongdoing in her relationship with Wade, previously saying that she was "not on trial."
While speaking to reporters earlier this month, Trump spoke about the trial saying, "It's illegal. What she did is illegal. So we'll let the state handle that, but what a sad situation it is."
What's next:
Hearings for Willis's disqualification are continuing and a judge is expected to hear closing arguments on Friday.
If a judge rules in favor of disqualifying Willis from Trump's case, it is unknown how the case will continue and who could replace her overseeing the case.
Update, 2/29/24, 2:30 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
Update, 2/29/24, 3:02 p.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
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