willis and ms.an her two daughters who would've asian elite -- occasionally visit the home. after february of 2021. what precipitated the move of ms. willis to what i would ference as a safe house for her protection was a protest that occurred before her home in february of 2021. he then expressed to the court that ms. willis moved in the spring of 2021. due to the threats that were taking -- takevery seriously, he had only seen his child 13 times. he said, in reference to the question by defense counsel that were -- i'm going to be straight up with the court. they were trying to make ms. willis a liar is how i would submit to the court. sense that she testified that she was concerned for her safety and her family's safety which included her father and her daughters. and that mr. floyd remaining in that home rebutted all of that. made it so it wasn't true.t he d in the home because it was the home that she put her blood, sweat, tears and and was able to buy. he stayed in the home because there was c

world, ms willis, and mr. wade as it relates to the relationship beginning or transitioning into dating in march of 2022 and into the end of the relationship and august are the summer of 2023 and as i referenced to the court of the statements that mr. bradley made, the state would contend are inadmissible hearsay as it relates to the statements that he was pressed and asked about what mr. wade told him because mr. wade was never confronted with those statements. and in order for impeachment to be proper, he must be confronted with a specific statements that are alleged to have been made in order to impeach him again, mr. bradley had every motive to lie. i believe on the text messages are are kinda clear are very clear as it relates to his disdain towards mr. wade, which due, to the fact that he was expelled or exiled from a thriving law practice and it was clear that the practice and mr. wade sided with the alleged sexual assault victim, which is clear he assaulted her due to the fact that he paid her off and

willis and ms. willis alone, other than her two daughters that would occasionally visit the home until after of february of 2021, but what precipitated the soon move of ms. willis to what i would reference as safe houses for her protection was a protest that occurred before her home in february of 2021. he then expressed to the court that ms. willis moved in the spring of 2021, and due to these threats that were taken seriously, he had only seen his child 13 times. he said in reference to the questions, by defense council that we're in -- and i'm just going to be straight up with the court. it was they were trying to make ms. willis a liar, is how i would submit to the court in the sense that she testified that she was concerned for her safety and her family's safety, which included her father and dollars, and that mr. floyd remaining in that home kind of rebutted all of that. made it so it wasn't true. he testified she stayed in the home, it was a home she put her blood, sweat and tears in. and he

that's owned by ms. willis. he make -- made clear that he lived in that home with ms.. willis alone, other than her two daughters who would've asian eliteally visit . after february of 2021. what precipitated the move of ms. willis to what i would reference as a safe house for her protection was a protest that occurred before her home in february of 2021. he then expressed to the court that ms. willis moved in the spring of 2021. due to the threats that were taking -- taken very seriously, he had only seen his child 13 times. he said, in reference to the question by defense counsel that -- i'm going to be straight up with the court. they were trying to make ms. willis a liar is how i would submit to the court. in the sense that she testified that she was concerned for her safety and her family's safety which included herand that mr. n that home rebutted all of that. but he testified that he stayed in the home because it was the home that she put her blood, sweat, tears and and was able to buy. he stayed in the home because there was constant officer presence. he told t

what does ms. wade do, excuse me, ms. willis do? ms. willis on her financial report on whether or not she has gotten anything $100 or more in value from a prohibited source. the court asked earlier about what a threshold might be. well, it's a hundred dollars, that's it. she doesn't report any of all of the benefits that she received from mr. wade. all the trips, all the entertainment, all the three nights in the luxury suite in aruba. all of that. none of that is here. and this they say, oh, well, maybe it all balanced out, even though i can't prove it with the cash. well, that's like saying, did i give the court a christmas present. well, maybe i gave the court a christmas present and the court gave me one back. if the court has to fill out a form if you got a christmas present from anyone, you don't say i got one from mr. gillen. you don't say i gave one back so it evens out. they're false reports. because they're false, what they had to do is say, uh-oh, ms. merchan has caught us. in our response we're going to get mr. wade to file

the november 29 in november 30, escobedo phone call from ms willis between ms willis and mr. wade 11, 32 that night shortly after midnight the phone starts traveling down from what where mr. wade lives and ends up where ms will staying. and he's there until roughly 04:55 a.m. none of the excuses none of the explanations that mr. wade gave go into the porsche experience go into dinner go into the airport. none of that explains that. i'm pretty sure the porsche experience is an open in the middle of the night i'm pretty sure that there weren't a restaurants that he drove 30 to 45 minutes to go eat at in the middle of the night right after he talked to ms willis teenagers have a name for those kinds of calls and those kind of expats, i won't go into it. >> but the documentary evidence, the objective evidence undercuts everything that both wade and willis set when you look at ms yeartie again, she unequivocally said that relationship began in 2019 she saw physical evidence of a romantic relationship mr. bradley in the text messages, which are substantive evidence, says that relat

what does ms. willis do? ms.cial report, on whether or not she's gotten anything of $100 or re in value from a prohibited source, the court asked earlier about what the thrho be. it is $100, that is it. she doesn't report any of all of the benefits she received from mr. wade. all the trips, all the entertainment, all the free nights in the luxury suite in aruba. none of that is here. they say oh well, maybe it balanced out even though i can't prove it with the cash. that's like saying did i give the court a christmas present? maybe i gave the court a christmas present in the court gave me one back. the court has to fill out a form you got a christmas present. you don't say i gave you one back so it evens out. they are false reports. because they are false, what they had to do is say ms. merchant has card us -- caught us. in our response we will get mr. wade to file a false declaration, which he does. his declaration in this case is false. the idence showing that is full -- is false, as to the timing, the court sa

what does ms. willis do? ms.on whether or not she's gotten anything of $100 or more in value from a prohibited source, the court asked earlier about what the threshold might be. it is $100, that is it. she doesn't report any of all of the benefits she received from mr. wade. l the trips, all the entertainment, all the free nights in the luxury suite in aruba. none of that is here. they say oh well, maybe it balanced out even though i can't prove it with the cash. that's like saying did i give the court a christmas present? maybe i gave the court a christmas present in the court gave me one back. the court has to fill out a form you got a christmas present. you don't say i gave you one back so it evens out. they are false reports. because they are false, what they had to do is ms. merchant has card us -- caught us. in our response we will get mr. de to file a false declaration, which he does. his declaration in this case is false. the evidence showing that is full -- is false, as to the timing, the court said earl

if ms wade's or excuse me, ms willis is ultimate goal by hiring mr. wade was for her financial benefit, then she would put mr. wade on every single one of those cases. though she could certainly a rebel in the riches and lavish lifestyle that has been referred to by defense counsel which there's been absolutely no evidence of. the evidence was she stated the doubletree and napa a doubletree i don't know that to be a lavish hotel. most people, when they go to napa, if they want to lavishly experience napa, stay at the ritz-carlton, the four seasons, things of that nature, not a doubletree so the allegations and assertions that ms willis was living the lifestyle of the rich and the famous is a joke absolute joke as it relates to what you've heard. and the secondary issue is the forensic misconduct. and for lack of better words what it has to be shown is that the statements that were made by for heat here, ms willis, related to the prosecution of the case and ultimately the guilt or innocence of the defendants. and we have none of those statements. there

willis. now, and so what did they do? well, when ms.chan filed the motion to disqualify, now the game plan has to change. the game plan, i call the deflection begins to take place. the deflection is when the district attorney sat down and wrote out, i'm sure the court has. when you look at that video, it's in evidence, for a speech at church, she has written out everything and she's reading from it. she chooses to deflect, the court asked earlier, wasn't she really responding to the motion that had been filed against her, that she had. if she had, she would have looked the members of that church in the face and say, there's been an allegation that i had a romantic allegation with mr. wade, and ladies and gentlemen, this congregation, it's true. she didn't do that. she chose to deflect, and to do two things that are reprehensible for any lawyer but particularly for a prosecutor. she chose to pull out the race card and the god card. that's what she did. and she wrote it out. she went on to deflect away from the allegations in the wade mot

it was clear that ms willis had notes. she was reading from notes that she had prepared it was a calculated determination by ms willis, too prejudice the defendant and their counsel. how by making an issue out of the fact that the person that was challenged in the roman motion was black without telling the public or the church members or anyone for that matter that the reason that mr. wade was being challenged was not because he was black and nothing to do with race. it had to do with the relationship that had been alleged and later admitted to buy ms merchant's ms willis took full opportunity to >> prejudice the defendant's and then comes along later in a pleading and says it wasn't designed or intended to be at the defendants at all, or they're defense council, which will all due respect is just nonsense. the purpose of that was to get public sympathy, public empathy for what ms merchant had already alleged in her motion now that was a violation of the professional rules of conduct. it was a violation of 3.8 g it's no qu

what does ms. wade to -- miss willis do? miss willis on her financial report, was not she has gotten anything of $100 or more in value from a prohibitive source, the court asked earlier about what a threshold might be applicable, if the financial part gets $100, that is it. she does not report any of all of the benefits that she received from mr. wade. all the trips, all the entertainment, all the three nights in the luxury suite in aruba. none of that is here. and they say, oh, well, maybe it all bounced out even though i can't prove it with the cash. will, that is like saying, did i the court a christmas present. well, maybe i the court a christmas present and the court gave me one back. you say i got one from mr. guillen. you don't say, no, well, i give you one back. so it really evens out. they are false reports and because they are false, what they have to do is they had to say, miss merchant has caught us and so we are going to get in our response, we're going to get mr. wade to file a false declaration which she does.

willis came from this contract. there is a direct financial benefit that ms. willis received from.his i believe we have shown an actual conflict. >> that conflict is not just financial. it can be any conflict that impairs your independent, professional judgment. that's really embedded in the prosecutor's oath to act impartially. that he was the original sin from which all of the other problems flow. there's no boyfriend exception. think the message that would be sent if they were not disqualified. if this is tolerated, we will get more of it. this office is a global laughingstock because of their conduct. >> laura: that's an understatement. i love there's no boyfriend exception line. that could have been my favorite. all right, of course the state of georgia rejected the idea that fani willis' conduct with mr. wade or her church tirade amended to any ethical breach. they even dismissed the idea that 12,000 -- i saw this, 12,000, who has that much to say, of texts and calls between her and mr. wade was in any way significant in indicating the depth of their relationship? the judge s

if ms. willis' ultimate goal by hiring mr. wade was for her financial benefit, then she would put mr. wade on every single one of those cases and could certainly revel in the riches and lavish lifestyle that has been referred to by defense counsel. which there's been absolutely no evidence of. the evidence, she stayed at a double tree in napa. i don't know that to be a lavish hotel. most go napa and want to lavishly experience it they go to four seasons things of that nature. not a double tree. the assertion she was living lifestyle of the rich and the famous is a joke, absolute joke. as it relates to what you heard in the secondary issue is the forensic misconduct, and for lack of better words, what has to be shown is that the statements that were made by, here about ms. willis related to prosecution of the case and ultimately guilt or innocence of the defendants and we have none of those statements. there's been no evidence. nothing provided to -- been provided to your honor as relates to ms. willis' specific statements made

the judge also said ms willis — the fulton county district attorney — commited a tremendous lapse indevelpoments with tamar hallerman, a senior reporter from the atlanta journal—constitution. she covers the fulton county investigation into whether former president trump or his allies criminally interfered in georgia's 2020 elections. tamar, first of all, i want to get your thoughts on the judge's ruling today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with this ruling. on the one hand, he said that there was no actual conflict of interest that warranted removing da fani willis from the case — but he put the ball in her court and said, "either you can stay on this case, or nathan wade, your special prosecutor who's led this trump case, who you were in a romantic relationship with, or he stays." so he left the choice up to her to decide, he said there was an appearance of impropriety which is what required a move like that — and within a couple hours, nathan wade tendered his letter of resignation, which da fani willis excepted. so, so far, things will keep moving ahead. there's still a qu

wade and allow ms. willis to stay on. this is another example of a two-tiered justice system when it comes to president trump and those around him. >> and mcafee said that they fell short of an actual conflict of interest, but he had harsh words for willis and her behavior, that she demonstrated a tremendous lack of judgment and acted unprofessionally when she testified last month. he suggested he would be for a gag order to prevent willis from talking about the case. willis has been defiant and saying in response to the resignation letter, you have endured threats against you and your family and unjustified attacks in the media. and her problems are far from over, some legal experts say she may run into several challenges ahead from jury selection to delays. >> i think the decision not to remove her while legally wrong is really a coup for trump because it opens up the possibility of appeal of this, which is delay and that's what his main strategy here is is delay. >> willis is also facing other investigation including f

but while ms willis can continue her prosecution of the former president, the judge also ruled that shehad tried to disqualify ms willis, arguing her relationship with her special council compromised the trial. thejudge disagreed, but said it did create an "appearance of impropriety." the judge also said ms willis — the fulton county district attorney — commited a tremendous lapse injudgment by engaging in an affair with mr wade. i spoke about all of these develpoments with tamar hallerman, a senior reporter from the atlanta journal—constitution. she covers the fulton county investigation into whether former president trump or his allies criminally interfered in georgia's 2020 elections. first of all, i want to get your thoughts on thejudge's first of all, i want to get your thoughts on the judge's ruling today. thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda . g thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda ., n �* thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda. , thoughts on the 'udge's ruling toda. today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with _ today. judge mcafee basically split the baby with this _ today. jud

willis received any financial gain or benefit of the testimony was that ms willis paid >> all of the money back in cash and the judge, what does that? he's got some questions >> if someone buys their boss a stick of gum, is that per say, disqualifying because there's no materiality requirement >> well, no, i don't disagree that it may not meet materiality requirement, but it's a personal benefit is it a stick of gum first while you're if you're buying your boss to stick of gum, well, i have questions about that as well, but let's not >> forget what this entire case is really all about. >> the >> former president of the united states and others allegedly made efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in georgia well, i want to do is this. i just want to find 11,780 loads, which is one more that we have because we won the state >> so on monday, nearly every trump case may have been in a forward motion now, tonight, nearly every trump case is up in the air. the judge in the mar-a-lago case didn't even tip her hand when she might even set a new trial date, but she did it asked questi

but while ms willis can continue her prosecution of the former president, thejudge also ruled that sher wade resigned. mr trump had tried to disqualify ms willis, arguing her relationship with her special counsel compromised the trial. thejudge disagreed, but said it did create an "appearance of impropriety." in another development stemming from mr trump's time in office, his former vice president says he will not be endorsing the presumptive republican nominee in the 2024 election. mike pence said it should come as no surprise he is not endorsing his former boss, whom he has publicly distanced himself from over mr trump's role in the 6january capitol riots. mr pence said during his own bid for he white house that his life was put in danger during the siege. he suspended that campaign in october. now that spring is finally here, millions of tourists will travel to japan to admire cherry clossoms in full bloom. but global warming has brought the date earlier and earlier, as sofia bettiza reports. cherry blossoms are a symbol of spring and the most famous cherry blossom spectacle in the

but both of them, ms willis and mr wade, denied there were any benefits, any sort of financial benefits on holidays together, they split the cost and so forth. but mr mcafee said that there wasn't enough evidence to suggest that there was an actual conflict of interest, that you you have to have evidence. it can'tjust be the appearance of it. however, he did say in order to resolve that appearance of impropriety, one of them has to step down. either fani willis has to recuse herself or nathan wade has to. and we understand that the judge will decide that. but in theory, the case should go ahead in august, which is when prosecutors want it to begin. well, it's interesting you end there, because if that decision is made, one or other does step aside. does that mean the the original timeline for this case remains in place? because what we've seen with these multiple cases that donald trump is facing, one of the principal tactics is simply delay. i'd be shocked if it goes ahead, the dates that the prosecutors. but if you look at all the other criminal cases, there are delays to them. even t

but while ms willis can continue her prosecution of the former president, thejudge also ruled that sheer relationship with her special counsel compromised the trial. thejudge disagreed, but said it did create an "appearance of impropriety." speaking to bbc news earlier, tamar hallerman, a senior reporter from the atlanta journal—constitution, who described where this leaves the former president and his legal team. on the one hand this is not the outcome they wanted. they did not want willis staying in the position but on the same time they wounded her and a lot of damaging personal information has gotten out there into the public domain that the da �*s critics plan to use at every twist and turn in all of this. you have seen the former president use a lot of this information in his campaign rallies. he wasjust information in his campaign rallies. he was just in information in his campaign rallies. he wasjust in north georgia last weekend and as he was talking about the da, thousands in the crowd were laughing and billing so it is a rallying cry for him and we even saw today him sending

ms willis and mr. wade never denied that he had been to that condo before the specific testimony that was elicited by ms willis and mr. wade was that he never he had never laid his head. was the direct quote at at that condo, which these records don't prove that he laid his head anywhere? >> willis seem to be smiling as he was making that argument. what did you think about it >> i thought there was a pretty awful place to be blunt. yeah. for a lawyer to be >> to be saying, hey, look, he only said he didn't lay his head there but yes, they might be evidenced that he was there for several hours in the middle of the night from like 12, 30 as he left before the morning? >> yeah. so that is not where you want to be and in some sense, even if something is technically true. and yeah, i'm sure it's technically true that he didn't lay his head there that is not where you want to be there could still be a lie because you've misled everybody by saying it's just suggesting right. were there overnight? >> right. an

if ms willis had been removed it could have delayed proceedings for many months.orrespondent in washington — nomia iqbal. she has following this story in washington and tell me more about the ruling and the background to the ruling. the ruling and the background to the rulina. ., , ., , ., ruling. donald trump and his legal team sought _ ruling. donald trump and his legal team sought to — ruling. donald trump and his legal team sought to try _ ruling. donald trump and his legal team sought to try and _ ruling. donald trump and his legal team sought to try and remove - ruling. donald trump and his legal. team sought to try and remove fani t willis from the case arguing that her relationship with the chief prosecutor who she hired had compromised the integrity of it. they both had had a romantic relationship. then we got this hearing that was very public where both fani t willis and nathan wade gave evidence. in the end it didn't go in donald trump's weight. donald trump still wants this case to be thrown out. it is a 23 page ruling thatjudge scott mccarthy gave. bu

ms willis and mr. wade never denied that he had been to that condo before the, specific testimony that was elicited by ms willis and mr. wade was that he never he had never laid his head. was the direct quote at at that condo, which these records don't prove that he laid his head anywhere? >> willis seem to be smiling as he was making that argument what did you think about it >> i thought there was a pretty awful place to be blunt. yeah. yeah. >> for a lawyer to be to be saying, hey, look he only said he didn't lay his head there but yes, they might be evidenced that he was there for several hours in the middle of the night from like 12, 30 as he left before the morning? >> yeah. so that is not where you want to be and some sense, even if something is technically true. and yeah, i'm sure it's technically true that he didn't lay his head there that is not where you want to be there could still be alive because you've misled everybody by saying i'm suggesting we're there overnight right. and that's what

. >> did you to go to a cabin with ms. miss willis ever? >> ever?ever. >> no. >> you've never gone? >> no. >> jesse: the last time fani was put on the stand it nearly blew up their whole case. >> it is a lie. >> i can remember us going. i remember him picking me up. i think... i bought him a bottle of wine while we were there and the sipping's that you do they would pare champagne, chocolate and caviar. if you're a woman and you want it with the men, you better have $200 in your pocket so if the man accept you can go where you want to go. i know where it came from, it came for my sweat and tears. >> jesse: democrats can't risk another fani freak show. they can afford to delay this any longer with potentially collapsing just months before the election. when all of their other cases are already cracking or calendared. so the democrats are panicking. the trump russia prosecutor of all people, robert muller's right-hand man is pressuring fanny to drop out. >> this is such a huge body blow, almost a fatal blow to fani willis. at the way forward is she ha

willis and there will be fallout. so far she provided some documentation to jim jordan and house committee, but not all of them. it is not unusual for individuals being subpoenaed for documents to have this sort of piecemeal compliance with the subpoena. we'll have to see whether the funds were mismanaged, whether there is documentation to show there is veracity to the allegations, if there are, it is problematic for her. >> carley: as todd said, the judge is running for reelection, so is former president trump. she is running for reelection, as well, and has two challengers. see if she gets to keep her job or has ramifications. >> todd: this is not normal, it is boring. >> carley: we know she likes grey goose. >> todd: thanks for your insight. staying in georgia, entire town of athens, georgia turned upside down after college student laken riley allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant. >> carley: now a woman named mama sid, is joining us live to kickoff her campaign to run for county commissioner. that is next. it

but, listen from, what we saw ms.d her testimony, they might well be better off keeping her on the case. >> judge jeanine: you know, i think they should have kept wade on the case the way that guy was sweating bullets when he was on the stand. can you tell he has never been in a courtroom before. the one of the problems is you have got the georgia senate investigating her and another agency investigating her. i was a prosecutor for along time. you cannot take forfeiture money and give it to your lover. you just can't do that. >> yeah. no, listen, she is completely smear the integrity of this process. she suspect for election. >> so she is probably not going to step down voluntarily. but she should have. she should have withdrawn from the case for the good of the case and integrity of the system. that's not what she decided to do. >> judge jeanine: we will see what the appellate court does. i have my opens on that one. david, thanks so much. and intel officials came to capitol hill today with a stark warning for senato

we'll see what happens to ms. willis. there is a georgia state lawmaker investigation claiming they have people who want to testify against her. there could be a bar investigation. bar referrals. we'll see what happens there. >> harris: drama outside the courtroom. who is focusing on the case? is it even fair? the answer would be no. if something happens with the former president and he comes out you are standing by on "the faulkner focus." we'll bring you back as the news warrants. critics are lighting up vice president kamala harris. she suggested israel could face consequences for how it chooses to fight hamas killers. plus after the massacre in moscow, renewed fears isis could take advantage of biden's open border. >> i'm not claiming there is an imminent threat to the u.s. but that border situation and the existence of that network is a threat to the united states. if they can do what they did in moscow in the united states they would do it in a heartbeat. >> harris: why would they wait until now? they look at the ri

. >> do you have reason to suspect or can you confirm whether or not ms. willis or mr. wade were coordinating with the biden white house in the course of this investigation and prosecution? >> one of the other things i did was an open records for the white house access and we have records that ms. willis and the mayor of atlanta were the -- meeting with the vice president. >> this record chias shown on the screen shows fani willis was a visitor with the potus, i people vice president of the united states in >> yes, it was. >> what was the date of that? february sometime of 2023? >> february 8, 2023. >> is that before the indictment? >> yes. elizabeth: looking at this, that was before the indictment. okay, so we don't know whether she was at -- why she was at the white house. we don't know -- she could have met with the vice president. it should be pointed out her alleged boyfriend nathan wade, whom she hired and paid double the salary, he billed, you know, billed georgia taxpayers for multiple meetings at white house before the georgia trump indictment. can the trump te

we have absolutely no evidence that ms willis received any financial gain or benefit. the testimony was that ms willis paid all of the money back in cash now, this has been a very lengthy hearing that has lasted several days over the past few weeks. but despite that, the judge said that he still does have factual and legal issues that he asked to evaluate, but he does estimate wolf that he will have a decision as to whether da willis and her team should be disqualified in likely the next two weeks we'll see what he decides. jessica schneider. thank you very much. let's break down all of this with our legal and political experts. and laura coates, this was really a remarkable day in georgia. what's your big takeaway from what we saw and heard? >> well, these people who are trying to disqualify fani willis want you to know that they think that ethical conduct rises the level of disqualification, but they have to actually prove it in the actual case in chief, they have to show that there was a competent interests in this case. they financial benefit that undermines the ab

we have absolutely no evidence that ms willis received any financial gain or benefit. the testimony was that ms willis paid all of the money back in cash. >> you can judge mcafee says he will make a decision about disqualification within two weeks jessica schneider, cnn, washington all right. >> now, we turn to cnn, chief legal affairs correspondent paula reid, who has details on the hearing in the classified documents case in florida >> former president donald trump at federal court in florida today for a high-stakes hearing to decide when you will be tried for allegedly mishandling classified document it's an indictment was unsealed, charging donald j. trump with felony violations of our national security laws, as well as participating in a conspiracy to obstruct justice trump >> faces 40 felony criminal charges related to the alleged mishandling of classified information. some seen here in properly stored at mar-a-lago. >> they raided my house. they did it for publicity reasons. they did it for election interference reasons. they want to interfere with the election.

we have absolutely no evidence that ms willis received any financial gain or benefit >> the judge who is listening to both of those arguments says that his decision on whether or not he will disqualify fani willis from prosecuting this case, will come within the next two weeks. if she's removed, it would effectively end the case potentially we've a host of brilliant legal minds to sort it all out for you here with me tonight, a pair of former top federal prosecutors, elie honig and jennifer rodgers and elie, i mean, this is basically it is the ballgame. we've got now two weeks to decide where do you think the judge's head is at all this i'm gonna make a bold prediction right here on the source, okay? it's 50, 50 >> i'm sorry. but you know, i would say if i felt strongly one way or the other, this one so hard for me to peg because there's a thing we say is prosecutor sometimes which is it's one thing to know something. it's another thing to be able to prove it. now, having watched these hearings play out over the last couple of weeks, i think they're very serious questions about when t

wade lavishly wii spent on ms.. willis. the uncontroverted evidence showending os that the money thn was spending on miss willis came from thistrere is. this i there is a direct financial benefit that ms.. willis receivee haved from this. i believe we've shown an actual conflict, that conflics not is t just financial. it can be an ty conflict that impairs your independent, professional judgmenthat's rt ta really embedded in the prosecutor's oath to act impartially. w. that's the original sin from seich all of the other problems flowed. there is no boyfriend exception. think of the message wer that wd be sent if they were not t disqualified. if thi get mos is tolerated, we will get more of it. lauge is a global laughingstock because of their conduct. that's an understatement. i love the. there's no boyfriendo ex exception line. that could have been my favorite. all righ the of georgt. course. the state of georgia rejected the idea that fani williwillisse is conduct with mr. wade or her church tirade amountedn di to any ethic

. >> as we mentioned, the former president way to end mocking how ms willis pronounces her first name and calling the judge's ruling, quote, big stuff, even though it keeps around the case more now from cnn's nick valencia vs of completing the raw judge, scott mcafee, announcing today, the defense failed to prove fani willis financially benefited by hiring nathan wade as her >> top deputy on the georgia election subversion case against donald trump and others. but this finding is by no means an indication that the court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the district attorney's testimony during the evidentiary hearing, judge scott mcafee wrote, rather, it is the undersigned's opinion that georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices. mcafee also describing willis fiery testimony last month as unprofessional in intrusive into people's personal lives. you're confused. you think i'm on trial these people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. i'm not on trial no matter how hard you try t

we have absolutely no evidence that ms willis received any financial gain or benefit. the testimony was that ms willis paid all of the money back in cash. >> you can judge mcafee says he will make a decision about disqualification within two weeks jessica schneider, cnn, washington perspective now from cnn, legal analyst joey jackson and atlanta former georgia state senator jen jordan joe, i mean, in these closing arguments, just kind of a shift from trying to prove a conflict of interest to a perceived conflict >> yeah. wasn't only that, but i was surprised at the way the bar really was extended by the defense. it was about well, is it an actual conflict? let to your point is at a perceived conflict. is it about her church speech as they mentioned, and the extra judicial statements and what impact that had. is it about the fact that she hired her boyfriend? is it that she benefited that he's her boyfriend benefit the she passing a wide net? it was a very wide net and i think they were doing that right to point to deception can point to fraud, point to an undermining a

willis. so what's the point of doing this? >> yeah, i'm glad to be with you tonight. they really don't have much power except to cause problems. and so right now what you see it as just a legislative committee that's been put together. there's been sort of an attack on prosecutors in the state for the last couple of years is they've tried to pass roe prosecutor bills that type of thing. but this committee now has been pulled together to look into this allegation that's been made against ms willis. so while they can't disqualify her, they can basically conduct a parallel proceeding, if you will, or something going on at the same time so that it just gets it's more of the sort of salacious trash out into the media >> she is pushing back pushing back as she did in the courtroom monday, that she made that now infamous appearance. let me just play for you what she has to say. >> i think it's all just a political quest. i think that people are angry because i'm going to do the right thing and i'm g

that is exactly what ms. willis want -- wanted done.emember, the state has still not responded. so then what we get from the state as we get an affidavit filed as part of their response. and that affidavit says specifically in the affidavit is mr. wade. says specifically, in paragraph 26 and 27, that the relationship did not begin until 2022. and acknowledges the relationship and says it did not begin until 2022. in the pleading that is filed, the state's pleading of response indicates that exactly that but says there is no relationship as of november at 1 of 2021. and that is on page seven. so now we know the timing is the issue because miss merchant made it clear that we alleged and had evidence that indicated the timing was before mr. wade was hired, not after. so the state now has filed an affidavit and a pleading that claims post hiring into 2022. and then mr. wade willis testified for the same thing under oath. now, miss your kid says it began in 2019. why would she know. she would know because she was a former prospect under the

the testimony was that ms willis paid all of the money back in cash. you can one judge mcafee says he will make decision about disqualification within two weeks. jessica schneider, cnn, washington perspective now from cnn, legal analyst joey jackson and atlanta former georgia state senator jen jordan joint i mean, in these closing argument, just kind of a shift from trying to prove a conflict of interest to a perceived conflict yeah, it wasn't only that, but i was surprised at the way the bar really was extended by the defense. it was about well, is it an actual conflict to your point, is at a perceived conflict. is it about her church speech as they mentioned, and the extra judicial statements and what impact that had is it about the fact that she hired her boyfriend? is it that she benefit fitted? that is her boyfriend benefit. >> did she passing a wide net? it was a very wide net and i think they were doing that right to point to deception, point to fraud point to an undermining and distrust of the system. i think edison going back to really what th

and in this case, in particular, she ms ms willis signed a contract she hired mr. wade as an independent contractor, a special prosecutor. there is a procedure in georgia law to do that, and it requires the approval of the county government, whether the district attorney sits that didn't happen here and it's very clear she hired this man who would not i have been eligible to be hired directly by her da's office or under county policy, either because of the nepotism close you can hire your lover to be a contractor to pay him government taxpayer funds. >> i understand that that. okay. but she's saying they weren't dating at that time and i understand that. that's that's that's also now but that but that's what that's what she's saying. so if they weren't dating, you have an issue. >> now, is that hasn't been proven yeah >> no, it hadn't. but boy, there were some very compelling evidence today of people that reported that. and there's phone information that shows that as well, but that's not our job to determine whether she did that. they which would clearly disqualif

and wade's relationship. >> when did your romantic relationship with ms willis began >> 2022 mcafee writing the district attorney, chose to continue supervising and paying wade while maintaining such relationship as long as wade remains on the >> case, this unnecessary perception will persist. >> i don't think it's a good day for the justice system. >> defense attorney scott globin faced off against willis during the case when he represented trump the ally can chesebro, one of the four co-defendants, to take a guilty plea. >> i hope and expect that the criminal defense lawyers in this case will appeal this decision. and i hope the georgia court of appeals has a different view sen. scott mcafee, she's not equipped to do the job and that case should end immediately. >> the former president's legal team vowing to fight on we will use all legal options available as we continue to fight to end this case, which should never have been brought in the first place. attorney steve sadow said those close to willis note the judge wasn't buying the idea that willis devised a financial scheme to e

and in this case, in particular, she ms ms willis signed a contract she hired mr. wade as an independent contractor, a special prosecutor. there is a procedure in georgia law to do that, and it requires the approval of the county government where the mr. attorney sits that didn't happen here and it's very clear she hired this man who would not have been eligible to be hard by her da's office or under county policy either because of the nepotism clauses, you can hire your lover to be a contractor to pay him government taxpayer funds. >> i understand that okay but she's saying they weren't dating at that time and i understand that that's that's that's also now. but that but that's what that's what she's saying. so if they weren't dating, you have an issue. >> now, is that hasn't been proven? >> yeah. >> no, it hadn't but were there were some very compelling evidence today of people that reported that that then there's phone information that shows that as well, but that's not our job to determine whether she did that. they which would clearly disqualify her. i think t

we have absolutely no evidence that ms willis received any financial gain or benefit. the testimony was that ms willis paid all of the money back in cash >> now, this has been a very lengthy hearing that has lasted several days over the past few weeks. but despite that, the judge said that he still does have factual and legal issues that he asked to evaluate, but he does estimate wolf that he will have a decision as to whether da willis and her team should be disqualified. in likely the next two weeks, whilst he would he decides jessica schneider. thank you very much. let's break down all of this with our legal and political experts and laura coates, this was really a remarkable day in georgia. what's your big takeaway from what we saw and heard? well >> these people who are trying to disqualify fani willis want you to know that they think that ethical conduct rises the level of disqualification, but they have to actually prove it in the actual case in chief, they have to show that there was a competent interest in this case, a financial benefit that undermines the abi

we have absolutely no evidence that ms willis received any financial gain or benefit. the testimony was that ms willis paid all of the money back in cash. >> you can judge mcafee says he will make a decision about disqualification within two weeks jessica schneider, cnn, washington perspective now from cnn legal analyst joey jackson and atlanta former georgia state senator jen jordan so joe, i mean, in these closing arguments, just kind of a shift from trying to prove a conflict of interest to a perceived conflict >> yeah, it wasn't only that, but i was surprised at the way the bar really was extended by the defense. it was about well, is it an actual column? affleck to your point? is it a perceived conflict? is it about her church speech as they mentioned, and the extra judicial statements and what impact that had. is it about the fact that she hired her boyfriend? is it that she benefited? that is her boyfriend benefit did cheap asking a wide net. it was a very wide net and i think they would doing that right to point to perception, point to fraud, point to an underm

wade's relationship. >> when did your romantic relationship with ms willis began? >> 2022 mcafee writing the district attorney, chose to continue supervising and paying wade while maintaining such a relationship, as long as wade remains on the case, this unnecessary perception will persist. >> i don't think it's a good day for the justice system. >> defense attorney scott globin faced off against willis during the case when he represented trump, ally can chesebro, one of the four co-defendants, to take a guilty plea. >> i hope and expect that the criminal defense lawyers in this case will appeal this decision. and i both the georgia court of appeals has a different view than scott mcafee. >> she's not equipped to do the job and that case should end immediately. >> the former president's legal team vowing to fight on. we will use all legal options available as we continue to fight to end this case, which should never have been brought in the first place. attorney steve sadow said those close to willis note the judge wasn't buying the idea that willis devised a finan

ms.. willis went into a church, a religious house. if anybody has any morals or moral compashouse.s, how dare yo into a religious house and cry racism? that, to me waouses the lowest point of all of this. i have to be honest with you. no matter what those textso sa, and i'm sure we'll see what they say and they will say what we think. how does it relate to all thesen cases? i hope it opens the door. jesse, to us, lookins tg at all the days, all the ag's communications between the whitl e house,e an the administration, and collusion between all of themd th in bringing these cases the same year, even though some of these cases are years and years and years old, had no investigation or investigations for years and then waited until he was the candidate and obvious candidate for, on the republican party and nominee. nominee. to openit the door. i hope we get those texts. but let's look into everythingit . i fear that we can't do d that until we have a different administration in placuntie. tay but more importantly, it's time for the ameri

wade and benefiting directly at ms. willis.coats their relationship a little bit in terms of how much she benefited ask yourself what any other special prosecutor be taking her to aruba? the pretty answers pretty obvious the focus should have but not can we show delay that's income pouring in but did she benefits from his appointment and she clearly did. that's the type of thing if i am on the other side on the defense team i am thinking about asking for a stay. i'm thinking about an appeal trying to push this down not waiting for trial and see if a higher court takes a different look. not just at the facts but whether or not disqualification can't run from the bad appearance as well. there is nothing politically i'd say it's a bad day for fatty will as she does not come out of this looking like anything but the disrespectful, dishonest official that she was. but in terms of the case itself it continues to chug along perhaps with some delay which is not a terrible thing for president trump and the other defendants. mark: she is

willis deny any wrongdoing.joint is now with what we can expect happens week if she will be thrown off. >> he hopes to have an answer by friday whether fulton county district attorney fan eight well as it should be disqualified. it could be some snags with that timeline for the defense is pushing back to reopen evidence and the testimony of two more witnesses they say these witnesses dispute willis a special prosecutor nathan wade's statements their relationship began in 2022. mcafee admits he's got several legal issues to work there and his decision could determine whether the georgia election interference case against former president trump will move forward before the november election. >> very impressed with the judge. he has been clear he is making sure he follows the law, does what is right. >> sheet maintained she did not reap any benefits from the money wade erred as a special prosecutor of the racketeering investigation. but her headaches are only growing. two attorneys are running to unseat her as fult

. >> did you lie to ms. merchant when you told her facts about mr. wade and ms.p? >> not that i recall. i don't recall that i've testified to what i did know so i can't recall -- pete: it was a lawyer -- it was the best lawyerly attempt you could say of him saying i have no idea. even from that you could tell the straining of the realization of, hey, it's pretty tough to deny something started beforehand. will: this will all end where we began with off the wall and the judge saying he'll rule on this in two weeks. he could potentially remove nathan wade, fani willis and nathan wade, pete and remove the entire prosecutor's office because they've thrown them way behind fani willis and i'll say this, he could dismiss the indictment. if it is held that nathan wade was hired improperly, not through the process required by fulton county. pete: so much of the case is predicated on the case being made and fani willis built the architecture around, if she goes, the whole thing could go and that's why this whole thing matter sos much. there's a lot of pressure on the judge

we have records that ms.eting with the vice president. >> she also testified that wade's cell phone data shows 1:00 a.m. trips to willis' condo prior to his hiring. a judge expected to rule whether fani willis will be removed from the case by mid-march. a judge finding a restaurant owner guilty in the deadly shooting of helena hutchins. she was responsible for the live rounds being on the set afteral alec bald m baldwin has to facen trial this summer. finely, get this. this is something else. the north face company is offering customers a discount if they complete an equity course that teaches how white people never experience racism or hardship and how the, quote, outdoors is oppressive to black people. for the discount people take a two hour class. one example is black people is barred from outdoor activities because of systemic racism and oppression. an official from the heritage foundation took the course and said the course was insulting and offensive. mariamaria. maria: is this a real story? >> barred f

order to have the district attorney disqualify that actual conflict has to be in the form of showing msllis in this instance received a financial benefit or gain in relation to the outcome of the case progress if willis is remove the case will inevitably be delayed and bring more uncertainty into trump's calendar of in certain circumstances is unclear if the two federal criminal cases will move forward before election day. judge eileen cannon did not make a decision friday as to whether the trial involving trump's handling of classified documents will begin the supreme court has yet to hear arguments on trump's claim he should not be prosecuted for actions he took while in office. that is set to take place in april. >> think you guys, let's bring in and out trial attorney if the two federal criminal cases will move forward before election day. judge eileen cannon did not make a decision friday as to whether the trial involving trump's handling of classified documents will begin the supreme court has yet to hear arguments on trump's claim he should not be prosecuted for actions he took w