on the grounds that d.a. williselped raise money for bert jones's democratic opponent in jones's race for lieutenant governor. now, judge mcburney did not cite any laws broken, but in the courtroom, he called fani willis's actions what are you thinking moment. judge mcburney wrote in his opinion, quote, an investigation of this significance, garnering the public attention it necessarily does and touching so many political nerves in our society, cannot be burdened by legitimate doubts about the district attorney's motives. the district attorney does not have to be apolitical, but her investigations do. now, it's possible that the judge in the current criminal case, judge scott mcafee, can make a similar determination here. with regards to miss willis's prosecuting the election conspiracy case. or not. but then there's georgia republican controlled legislature. the georgia senate has already launched an investigation to d.a. willis, which they could use to subpoena records from d.a. willis, or force her to testify und

d.a. and i have known ms. willis. i don't have any problem with her. >> i want to jump back in, sir. re speaking to what's also a complicated scenario when these kind of motions are flying at the d.a.'s office while they're trying to do their work, and you mention the authority they have. i'm going to have maya respond as well, but when you mention the idea that maybe there was, again, discussions about testimony, we have some of this discussion where faced with questions about timing, you have certain answers from wade and willis. i'm only going to show it. i'm not going to predescribe it, but let's take a look on what was discussed at one point about the gender of the person doing the remembering. >> forgive me. i'm a man. we don't do the date thing. >> he's a man. he probably would say june or july. i would say we had a tough conversation in august. >> the physical relationship ended pre-indictment. i'm sure if you ask mr. wade, because he's a male, he would say we ended june or july, because physical contact ended then. just in my mind, being a woman, it's over when you have that,

after all, d.a. willisdent -- and the stakes of this trial are enormously high. none of this is going to be quietly into the night. independent, there are a few other factors that day willis has to contend with. jones was a state senator in 2020. he served as one of the fake electors and georgia helping donald trump create bogus election documents to try and overturn joe biden's victory. and fani willis wanting to investigate jones but she stopped doing so. a georgia judge said robert mcburney blocked her on the grounds that d.a. willis had helped raise money for jones's democratic opponent in jones's district -- now, judge mcburney did not say that any laws were broken but in the courtroom, he called fani willis's actions, what were you thinking, moment. judge mcburney wrote in his opinion, quote, an investigation of this is significant, garnering public attention, putting so many political nerves in our society. cannot be burdened by the district attorney's notice. the district attorney does not have to b

they accuse d.a. willis of hiring mr. n order to enrich herself with lavish vacations and other gifts mr. wade bought for ms. willis. in a legal filing two weeks ago d.a. willis admitted to having a relationship with mr. wade, saying it began only after she hired mr. wade to work on this case in 2022. now, today's hearing began with an explosive allegation from a former friend of d.a. willis who claimed willis has lied about when the relationship began. >> you have no doubt that their romantic relationship was in effect from 2019 to the last time you spoke with her? >> no doubt. >> did you observe them do things that are common among people having a romantic relationship? >> yes. >> such as? can you give us an example? >> hugging, kissing, just affection. >> that was a balk shell of the morning. fani willis and nathan wade potentially lied to the court in their filings about when their relationship began. the rest of the hearing mostly revolved around the question did fani willis benefit financially from her relationship w

wade and d.a. willisare associated with this case, unfortunately, this is going to be some degree of a distraction. for her to remove herself or for him to voluntarily withdraw himself from this matter still doesn't necessarily remove that specter of doubt that could be in the minds of potential jurors. this is also something that even if this works out for the two of them, it's going to be a problem in the broader sense regarding this prosecution. >> what's best-case worst-case scenario here for this case to proceed? one, she's disqualified. both disqualified. this case gets removed from them. or, two, this moves forward. >> the best case and i think katie phang is right, we have to wait and see what will happen. we don't have all the evidence. the best case for the d.a. is that the judge finds that they -- their relationship started exactly when they said, that there's insufficient evidence that they were doing anything other than splitting costs. remember, the testimony today was even though there is n

rollin' is now claiming d.a. willis is intentionally withholding information ahead of the hearing, which ms. willis denies. it's unclear if willis or wade will testify. they can both seek to quash these subpoenas, but if they do testify they can do so under oath and the hearing will be televised under georgia law. meanwhile, the judge in this case judge scott mcafee also overseeing the conspiracy case has directed ms. willis to respond to the misconduct allegations by friday. these allegations are merely that, allegations. and as of right now they do not change the facts of the actual case against trump. but could it change its outcome? joining me now is anthony michael price, assistitant professor of law at georgia state university. anthony, it's great to see you. thank you for making the time. i know we checked in with you when the case was -- what should we call it? the situation was unfolding down in georgia, and there's since been more evidence produced of the relationship between mr. wade and ms. willis. i wonder

>> that's the cruise i was referencing with d.a. willis, my mother and myself. >> there are two cruises, let's talk about the first one. the first one was you took that's the one with your mother. >> yes. >> so you introduced ms. willis to your mother and took the cruise together the three of you. after that cruise was done you & miss willis flew to aruba. you paid for it on your credit card. you are saying miss willis paid you back for that. >> she did. let me make this distinction, though. the number that you are looking at reflects the three people on the cruise ship. there were things that my mother and i did, just the two of us, that d.a. willis didn't do. >> and i'm not attributing that. my math is not good but i didn't include anything with your mother on this. >> you wouldn't be able to see it because it is not separated out. it just sh

willis's boyfriend. they brought on former employee of d.a.'s office, self-described best friend of fani willis to testify under oath she saw the two were in a relationship two years before nathan wade was hired. here is the exchange. >> you know their relationship, their personal relationship began shortly after this municipal court conference? >> yes. >> when i say personal, romantic. i want to make sure we don't get in an argument do you take personal to mean romantic? >> she then went on to describe the two as hugging and kissing and seeing them hug and kiss. what got pursued today is money. did the two, wade and willis profit from this relationship, make money from the state and spend on themselves? curious examination of how nathan wade carried out his businesses and travels. he said he put everything on his credit card and then fani willis paid him back in cash which he never declared on his taxes. here is wade talking about their financial arrangement. >> what i allege is -- what i allege is our travel was split roughly evenly, so where

if fani willis is disqualified, her entire fulton county d.a.'s office would be removed and a state prosecutor's counsel would have to appoint a special prosecutor, which means, drum roll, yet another delay. willis has already been disqualified by a separate judge when it comes to another defendant, georgia lieutenant governor burt jones who was a fake trump elector, because she hosted a fund-raiser for the democrat who lost to jones in the 2022 election. that jones probe still does not have a new prosecutor, 18 months later. not at issue, the accusations that trump and others tried to overturn the election. willis will be back on the stand tomorrow. and joining me now is katie phang, trial attorney and host of the katie phang show on msnbc. she is at the courthouse in atlanta, the site of today's explosive testimony. former federal prosecutor paul butler, law professor at georgetown university and msnbc legal analyst, and errin haines, editor at large of the 19th. ka katie, those fireworks. >> legally, what came out today was evidence. before to

willis on the phone? >> in 2021, then it became frequent. >> frequent? >> yes. >> but you did not work at the d.a.'s office at that point, correct? >> i did not. >> so the affidavit you submitted, you showed on it, you submitted one record that showed that ms. willis had paid a couple hundred dollars for one flight, correct? >> say again. >> the affidavit that you submitted to this court showed that ms. willis had paid for one flight, several hundred dollars. is that correct? >> no, ma'am. i think that -- are you drawing a distinction for her paying for a flight or for her actually booking a flight? those are two separate things. >> i'll re-ask it. the affidavit you filed in this court, you alleged that ms. willis paid for one flight, paid for one flight, correct? >> no, ma'am. >> you did not allege she paid for one flight? >> no, what i alleged is that i would travel, it was split roughly evenly. so where you see i have booked the flight or i have paid for a flight with my credit card, what you don't see is that she covered her own flight, reinbureaused it to me -- reimbursed it to me. the flights

yesterday's hearing turned fiery when d.a. willis>> probably the whois words about some of the things you said that were dishonest within this motion. i'm not a hostile wince. trying to implicate i slept with him, which i find to be extremely offensive. highly offensive when someone lies on you. you have been intrusive into people's personal lives. let me tell you where you lied, right here and right here. 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. it is a lie. it is a lie. >> that was the hearing yesterday. and when it ended, it was said in public court the plan agreed to by all sides was for the d.a. to return and testify for additional hours this morning. everyone was ready for that. until we saw this morning this happen. >> actually, your honor, the state has no further questions for ms. willis. >> all right. >> okay, next wince. >> all right. next witness. georgia is one of the states where you have cameras in the courtroom. let's be clear, the ca

d.a. willis, who initially tried to quash the subpoena for her testimony, withdrew that objection yesterday and accused the defense of lying about her relationship with special prosecutor nathan wade. >> mr. wade visit you at the place you laid your head? >> when? >> has he ever visited you? >> let's be clear. let me tell you which one you lied in. >> i'm going to object. >> this is the truth. it is a lie! it is a lie. >> d.a. willis holding up three pleadings filed by the defense there. last month, trump co-defendant, michael roman, a long-time republican opposition researcher who worked in the trump administration, accused willis and wade of having an improper personal relationship and claimed wade was hired for the job because of it. willis did admit to the relationship, but she said it started after wade was hired. trump and several co-defendants joined roman's motion to try to remove willis. when roman's attorney, ashley merchant, accused willis of not wanting to turn over records, willis re

d.a. fani willis saw to come on board as special prosecutor. you heard the exchange with the court at the end about the timing of that meeting, did it necessarily mean that d.a. fani willis went to barnes before she enlisted special prosecutor nathan wade and that is the reason why the court asked roy barnes, can you check your calendar to see when that meeting occurred with willis, vis-a-vis the hiring date or the appointment date of wade on november of 2021. it is important because if it is true that d.a. fani willis sought someone else before nathan wade, of course that flies in the face of the defense's theory that wade was only hired to be able to further that personal benefit of fani willis. last note i would share with you guys is the following, there were a couple of key nuggets from barnes' testimony. one, you heard barnes turned it down, not only because it is not financially lucrative, which, again, supports the idea that you're not going to make a lot of money off this case if you're a special prosecutor at $250 an hour, but number t

this is a truly critical day and i'm looking to see if the judge will put d.a. willis on the stand under oath and that will be explosive if he does. >> we'll take that live if and when that happens. we have cameras in the courtroom for that particular case. catherine, we also learned today that trump plans to be in court on thursday as well. here in new york. for the hush money case where the judge could determine when that case will go to trial. what do you make of his new tactic, it seems, to be in court for more of these hearings and more of his cases? >> it is all for show. so, when he comes out of the courtroom, he can then pontificate and speak to his followers about how he's being persecuted. thursday's court appearance is not a hearing as the judge will decide, you know, whether or not to dismiss the indictment. he won't. and whether or not the court date which was set for trial, march 25th, will still stand. so this is just trump coming to manhattan, which has the most probably reporters of any city and getting all of that attention for his campaign. >> right,

as you watch d.a. williswould be hard- pressed to believe that anything she said was a misrepresentation, wasn't accurate, or was untruthful. she was angry, she had every right to be angry. she was holding a public court filings that she contended, contained all sorts of lies. once they go out and to the public square, people are going to believe those lies. she was hot, but she had every right to be hot. she remained respectful, but forceful. i don't think this hearing will win the defense any relief whatsoever. >> it's so interesting because you can definitely get from her testimony, lisa, that she was angry for a number of reasons. many of them she didn't bring up. she obviously doesn't like being lied about. she obviously doesn't like having her personal life dragged out into the open. also lied about. she mentioned several times in her testimony that she's had to move a lot, because of death threats. even before the election trial began, because of other trials that she's presided over. i mean, this is b

the difference d.a. willis spoken to and frankly even fani willis's father. >> having grown up in the south i was not as surprised to see that. >> i'm not surprised! but the difference was clear. >> the difference was real and it was stark, right? the thing the troubles me the most about this whole situation, and i am a huge funny with his fans. i love everything about her. how she argues the case, her entire presence! the thing that troubles me the most is she gave her opponents the ammunition to come at her. and i say this in the context of someone -- in 2020 when she was campaigning for this office she promised voters that she would not de a member of her staff. she made that commitment in the context of a heated race against a sitting district attorney who was facing sexual harassment allegations. what i wrote in a piece on msnbc.com is that while ill advised, this is a case a matter that is between her and her god her and the people of fulton county who voted for her. it has nothing to do with this underly

d.a. fani willis hedges on the idea that because of that personal relationship she had with nathan wade asecial prosecutor that she appointed that that's why she appointed him, that she put him into that position so that he would actually reap some financial windfall that she would be able to participate in. recall yesterday, a former d.a. fulton county employee and former friend of fani willis said that, in fact, their relationship began in october of 2019, not in march of 2022, which is what wade and willis are saying. terrence bradley's testimony could be very interesting, if he supports the defense's theory that, in fact, that personal relationship began between l willis and wade before he was appointed special prosecutor. >> thank you very much, stay close, obviously, joining us now, andrew weissmann, former fbi general counsel, charles coleman, and chuck rosenberg, former u.s. attorney and senior fbi official. it was a dramatic day in court yesterday, and we last heard fani willis herself on the stand. she was pretty confrontatioal, she had lengthy answers to show she had nothing to

willis and wade made an unethical decision, willis as the one with power failed in her d.a. responsibilities. paula mo, i'm going to give you this. there's an appearance issue here and a prosecutor's job is to avoid an appearance of impropriety. i read the filing yesterday. don't be intimidated by 150 pages because most of them are attachments, and in the first 20 you can get exactly what she is saying. i was trying to play devil's advocate with professor cunningham in saying, why should we care? if in fact he is doing quality work -- i'm not here to argue that he is, but if he is doing quality work and they have a relationship that began after the commencement of the engagement, is it really our business? that's the rub of this. we'll see how it plays out. the amazing thing, i will take a second and say this, the amazing thing is what i said at the outset. it could be the stormy daniels' case, which i have long said is the weakest of the four trump prosecutions, that gets to trial before the election and maybe only that case. i think it is an open question as to whether it

we'll basically, if the judge disqualifies d.a. willisecision doesn't just disqualify her, as in the lawyer in charge, it disqualifies her whole office. the case would then be reassigned to another -- who would have the ability to continue with the case exactly as it, is make major changes adding or dot dropping charges or defendants. or, that new prosecutor could, quote, even drop the case altogether, as the new york times explains. and we are joined now by the former head of the doj criminal division, allegedly -- -- former at -- civil prosecutor, and civil rights attorneys. she is back with, us as mandy rory, who has direct experience having represented a different trump codefendant in this rico case. hello to all of you. leslie, i was just reminding viewers what the times and others have said about how far this could go. i mean, we are not just talking about a fiery hearing with interesting testimony. we are talking about a process that could remove the prosecutor of the office, or handed off to somebody who might have a different vie

d.a. willis and her team.y, like my grandma used to, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. >> let me remind folks about the one witness who claims that d.a. willis and nathan wade lied under oath. she says their relationship started much -- many years before they claim it did. her name is robin yeartie, and i want to remind people of what she testified to under oath. >> you had no doubt that their romantic relationship was in effect from 2019 until the last time you spoke with her? >> no doubt. >> did you observe them do things that are common among people having a romantic relationship? >> yes. >> such as, can you give us an example? >> hugging, kissing, just affection. >> there was no romantic relationship with mr. wade until early in 2022, whether it be january or february or march, early in 2022, correct? >> i would say sometime between february and april, yes. >> so a direct contradiction, and fani willis also basically painted yeartie as a former friend, a disgruntled employee who lost her jo

>> they can't prove d.a. willis has a conflict of interest, that she has a personal stake on interest in the defendant's conviction or she financially benefitted from mr. wade. now they have decided to try to prove that they both were untruthful when they testified, that wade's affidavit was untruthful when they testified to when they became a couple, when the relationship became romantic. >> can i interrupt? how do they know what they're talking about? these were professional colleagues. >> exactly. even couples will disagree about when they became a couple. this data they have is -- they are saying that his phone wall in the location of where her condo is. he testified, mr. wade, that he could have been at a restaurant or another place. just saying that the cell site data says his phone was in the vicinity of her condo does not prove they were in a romantic relationship. i guess they are trying to throw everything up at the wall and see if it sticks. >> yeah. that's typical trump playbook. thank you so much. >>> t

this d.a. willisd she had no financial conflict of interest, no personal conflict of interest, but adds that justifies her disqualification personally or that a fulton county district attorney -- that fulton county district attorney's office and that the attacks on special prosecutor wade's qualifications are factually inaccurate, unsupported and malicious. at least what i'm reading here does not directly say there is no relationship. what she's saying is it did not create a personal conflict of interest, nor does it speak to the fact that she believes that he is qualified to hold this position. is that what you hear from wla what i'm reading? >> so i have not had the opportunity to look at this filing yet, but what i will be looking for -- look, i'm not surprised that she would make the argument that she should not be disqualified, even if there were a personal relationship. it's not clear that would merit her disqualification, so i'm not surprised she's taking that position, nor would it at all mean

>> to a man, yes. >> carley: d.a. willis is expected back in court at 9:00 a.m.tern time and fox news will be bringing that to you live. guys? >> lawrence: unbelievable. >> ainsley: how do we react to this? thank you, brooke. >> brian: oh yeah, can i thank brooke? thanks, brooke. talk to you later. >> ainsley: congratulations on getting the interview with trump. >> brian: absolutely. i has a lot more court cases. he will be back here. the first thing that comes to mind who wasn't seen there? and that is did she have a relationship with him prior and through the indictment? and did he get all of that big contract because of that relationship because if you look at the resume he does not belong in this position. he does accidents and he does divorces. and he ends up getting the lead case to take the president. i just go back to her friend, who she doesn't really considers friends anymore. >> ainsley: not a friend anymore. >> brian: she said they had a romantic relationship staying in her condo sublet she was doing her a favor. fani had a relationship in 2019. how d

i told d.a. willisguards for four years and i didn't like it and i wasn't going to live with bodyguards for the rest of my life. >> joining us now is former litigator and msnbc legal analyst lisa rubin. lisa, thank you for waking up early on a holiday, technically. do you think lawyers have made their case in the d.a. willis trial that she should be removed? what would the ramifications of that be? >> let's start with do i think the case should be removed. i don't. they certainly have brought up a ton of dirty laundry, including how ill-advised the relationship between fani willis and nathan wade was irrespective of when it began. the fact that they were working together and he was serving as the special prosecutor would show the appearance of impropriety, however, they've not shown a debilitating conflict of interest here. in fact, the two witnesses you might point to giving them the most evidence that something untoward was going on, both have their own ax to grind. however, if judge mcafee were to di

abc's steve osunsami from georgia tonight. >> d.a. willis, how are you feeling about your testimony? >> reporter: in a stunning change of heart, the fulton county prosecutor accused of profiting from hiring her lover to help lead the election interference case against former president trump and 18 others walked right up to the judge and said she was ready to testify. >> i'm ready to go. >> reporter: fani willis called the lawyer who called her here a liar. >> it is a lie. it is a lie. it's highly offensive when someone lies on you, and it's highly offensive when they try to implicate that someone says you slept with somebody the first day you met them. don't be cute with me and then think you're not going to get an answer. >> reporter: it is a rare event for a prosecutor to sit on the witness stand and take questions from the lawyers of clients she's trying to convict. >> 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 to put me on trial.

d.a.'s lawyers did not want willis to testify. in fact, they tried to drop the subpoena for her to appear. but willis was determined to defend her reputation and fight the allegations leading to drama in that georgia courtroom that is still simmering. >> it is a lie -- >> reporter: heated testimony as fulton county d.a. fani willis was grilled over her personal relationship with a lead prosecutor in the state's election interference case against former president donald trump. >> these people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. i'm not on trial. >> reporter: co-defendant michael roman claims willis' previous relationship with prosecutor nathan wade is a financial conflict of interest and argues she should be removed from the case. willis and wade admitted to beginning a relationship after he was hired in 2021. they took lavish trips while willis' office paid wade $650,000 for his work on the case. willis said she reimbursed wade for costs of the trips. >> i don't need anything for a man. the only man who's ever fo

d.a. fani willis. before this break, wade was grilled on his travel with willis, their expenses, the nature of the time they spenting to spent together and specifically and very importantly when did their relationship began? >> when did your relationship with ms. willis begin? >> 2022. >> when in 2022? >> early 2022. >> so you were appointed in november of 2021? >> yes, ma'am. >> and your relationship started early, what's early? january? february? >> around march. >> around march. >> but you two met at an october 2019 judicial conference, correct? >> yes, ma'am. >> that testimony directly contradicts earlier testimony from one of willis's former good friends who said the relationship began well before wade testified it did and predated his hearing by the d.a. >> you have no doubt that their romantic relationship was in effect from 2019 until the last time you spoke with her? >> no doubt. >> did you observe them do things that are common among people having a romantic relationship? >> yes. >> such as,

d.a. fani willis could be removed from the trump election interference trial. after fiery testimony from willis yesterday, her father took the stand in her defense today. blayne alexander was there. >> reporter: in the georgia election interference case against former president trump -- >> all rise. >> reporter: -- this fulton county hearing could determine the future of that case. for a second straight day, judge scott mcafee heard evidence on allegations that d.a. fani willis financially benefited from a personal relationship with special prosecutor nathan wade, who she hired on the case. now, trump and several co-defendants are trying to have her removed. >> it is a lie it is a lie. >> reporter: after more than two hours of surprise, fiery testimony yesterday, today, the state declined to call willis for cross-examination. >> i have one daughter, fani willis. >> reporter: on the stand, willis' father, john floyd, pressed on what he knew about her relationship with wade at issue, when that relationship began, before or after she hired him. wade and willis sai

d.a. fani willis. the reason why i say that is all of this testimony that we're hearing since yesterday and today has to be considered in the framework that this is an evidentiary hearing. again, this is the time for the defense and the state to put aside and to put to bed any of the innuendos, the salacious rumors and the gossip about what's going on and actually put up or shut up, present that evidence that would substantiate the relief that you're seeking from the court. in the absence of being able to are prove that legally, there is no reason for mcafee to disqualify fani willis and by default the entire office of fani willis from this prosecution. but you also have to consider that because it's just the judge in this case that's hearing the evidence, he's weighing the credibility of these witnesses and to hear from someone like a former governor in the state of georgia and to hear from somebody like the father of d.a. fani willis to consider their motivations as to why they have testified the way

d.a. willis's carrying cash and paying in cash was as a sign of respect.ty. it is not saying with a check or a credit card, i'm going to pay you or a bank later for what you're giving me. it's saying i have the ability to pay you for this right now, and that is why people in the black community frequently carried and proudly paid with cash. and i believe that mr. floyd is of that generation. there's a lot to be learned from this. i hope, since we're talking about race and the differences there, that the judge and others in georgia can take this as a lesson to learn about those cultural differences because they do make a difference in this case, rather than the initial shade of this was the fact that district attorney willis said she paid in cash, was looked upon with inherent skepticism as if she were lying. >> i want to play just a little bit more of what we heard from district attorney fani willis on the stand yesterday. >> nobody gives me anything. i am sure that the source of the money is always the work, sweat and tears of me. a man is not a plan. a m

>> -- to a man, yes. >> and d.a. willis is expected back in court at 9:00 a.m.x news will be bringing that to you live. guys? >> lawrence: thanks, brooke. the interesting thing that she said that she didn't watch the testimony. but apparently she appeared magically outraged in the court right after the testimony ended and interrupted was all out of control by the way. the interesting point also brian and ainsley, she said that she was never in d.c. at the same time as mr. wade pushing back against the allegation that she was at the white house at the same time as wade before she decided to get an indictment of donald trump: i would like to dig into that a little bit more to see if they were in d.c. at the same time and both at the white house. >> brian: met with white house justice officials in athens. some type of coordination irtime went there i don't want to talk about that. talk about the relationship and how it might compromise the case. what really effects the trump plan is or politically, are you coordinating with the white house? >> lawrence: right. >> w

d.a. fani willis had some other choice things to say, let's listen. >> i'm very much -- so i am not -- .y much wants to be here. but let's be clear, because you lied, and i want to tell you which one you lied about here. i think you lied right here. no no no, this is the truth judge. and it is a lie, it is a lie! i don't need anything from a man, a man is not a plan, a man is a companion. i don't need anybody to foot my bill's. the only man who's ever foot my bill's completely is my daddy. >> now, we played that mash-up, because to me, what we were watching was a legal moment, but also a cultural moment. what did you think of not just the mash-up that you just showed, but of her testimony overall? >> well i mean, so much of i think one, she is saying i am not afraid to be here. that was part of what she was saying is, i am not afraid here, and don't get it twisted. well [laughter] and i think we also saw a woman who wanted to stand up, and obviously stand up for herself. and i think the reason it is such a big cultural and important conversation in this moment is because black women have

d.a. pappny all lis from georgia's -- fani willis. e, terence bradley, he previously indicated that, yes, d.a. fani willis had a relationship and started it with trump prosecutor nathan wade in 2021, not 2022 like they testified. that's a conflict of interest. but now he claims amnesia today and no knowledge of this? >> yeah. it was must-watch tv today again from this hearing. you know, based on everything that i saw today, there's no doubt that this judge is going to determine that this witness was withholding information, knew more than he was willing to testify to. but this is one of the problems. often times the test is not what the truth is, it's what's admissible. and i think a lot of folks watching today were very frustrated with the line of questioning. but this is why we have to have cameras in the courtroom, you know, really for all these feedings, because you just can see how a witness is or isn't being honest when they're asked specific questions. elizabeth: yeah, that's right. cameras are transparency. you know, willis and

>> that is correct. >> d.a. willist become romantically involved with attorney wade until several months after she hired him as a special prosecutor. the defense is trying to prove their relationship began earlier than that, and that wade rewarded willis with lavish vacation travel, something former president trump brought up on the campaign trail. >> i think she said nine trips. every time i took a trip with my lover, paid him in cash. where the hell did you get the cash? >> meanwhile, republican challenger nikki haley says mr. trump's legal problems are distracting him from important issues such as foreign policy and also threatened to drain republican campaign funds. john? >> jonathan serrie on "the story" for us in atlanta. jon, thank you. >> the nascar season is set to start in just over an hour after a long rain delay. the great america race will finally kickoff. more on what to expect. that's a live look coming up. ♪ >> sandra: that sun looks lovely. after a significant rain delay, i'm sure it's a welcome sight.

. >> d.a. willis could be disqualified from the case. so could her whole office potentially.ring the investigation back to square one. >> jordan: are you kidding me? seriously! trump might get off because these two were getting off? the case might get derailed because these two were getting railed? are we [bleep] because they [bleep]? i can't believe a legal team's sexual appetite might destroy this case. now i finally understand why trump hired rudy giuliani as his lawyer. no one's risking their case to see what he's packing. but maybe we should give fani willis the benefit of the doubt. maybe she didn't know it was a conflict of interest to have sex with an employee. >> in 2020, fani willis was asked why fulton county voters should elect her as d.a. instead of her opponent. >> they deserve a d.a. that won't have sex with his employees because they deserve a d.a that won't put money in their own pocket. >> jordan: oof. okay, that's tough. but to be fair, she kept her promise. she did not have sex with his employees. just hers. i guess we call that progress. now, one of the a

certified copy of an emergency motion by a nonparty dependent for protective order filed on behalf of d.a. willis and the way that divorce case. >> in objection to 32 through 37. >> i object to their relevance, and i would take it that it is complete and accurate and stepped to the relevance of that as well. >> i will note the objection to the record. defense exhibit 32-30 seven are admitted. any further evidence, mr. mcdougall? mr. rice? mr. guillen? the demonstrative 28? do you have a copy for us already, great. do we still have him with us on zoom? i'm being informed that he dropped off zoom, so i will make assigning that he voluntarily has absolute it himself from this hearing. mr. cromwell? >> the defense presentation of evidence is done. all of the witnesses have been subpoenaed. >> i think that's fair. miss merchan, any reason to hold on any of those witnesses? >> i have two short witnesses. >> ok. >> mixed witness of the state. >> for the testimony? >> yes, my name is austin. >> could afternoon. i want to direct your attention -- first of all, how are you employed? >> i am employed, i hav

before that, a former friend of willis who also worked at the d.a.'s office, testified willis and wade started dating back in 2019, which disputes the time line they had given. when pressed it was revealed that she had a falling out with willis after she was forced out of the d.a.'s office in 2022. willis is expected back on the stand beginning right about 9:00 a.m., and we'll have live coverage of that later on "morning joe." but that's not all for the legal developments because there's a judge in new york denying donald trump's bid to dismiss the charges against him in the hush money trial and ordering that trial to begin in jury selection on march 25th. trump attorney tom blanch argued his legal team needed more time to prepare citing trump's other legal cases and claimed that date would be election interference because of the presidential primaries that month. with the former president seated at the defense table, the judge dismissed those arguments saying the defense had plenty of time to prepare in this case trump faces 34 felony charges, which

d.a. fani willis not waiting to learn her fate. former president trump probably pretty interested to see what happens. what it all means if she and her lover get tossed off the election meddling case after that wild hearing last week. new outrage over the massive civil fraud judgment against former president donald trump. >> seems to me to be completely out of proportion to the actual loss here, which was nothing. strikes me to be constitutionally extremely dubious. >> sandra: growing calls the punishment did not fit the crime. the shocking penalty in trump's civil trial and the next steps in that case. tom dupree, former assistant attorney general will weigh in next. i brought in ensure max protein with 30 grams of protein! those who tried me felt more energy in just two weeks. -ugh. -here, i'll take that. woo hoo! ensure max protein, 30 grams protein, 1 gram sugar, 25 vitamins and minerals. and a new fiber blend with a prebiotic. (♪) were you worried the wedding would be too much? nahhhh... (inner monologue) another destination w

caller: i thought it was disgusting the way d.a. willis spoke to the attorneys, the way she spoke to the judge. she was telling the judge what to do. i have never seen a witness dictate how things are going to be run. it was disgusting. she should be disbarred and so should wade. who does that? using taxpayer money from georgia. i have family in georgia. saying trips -- taking trips from here and there. there were too many lies. she was not good on the stand. host: it was nathan wade testified that he met willis and 2019 and they developed a professional relationship as she sought his advice before campaigning for district attorney. mr. wade paid for expenses and trips in willis reimbursed him for some of the trips including two bay leaves which was a birthday present from willis. they split the cost of their travel evenly. and that is from the georgia atlantic constitution. caller: first of all, mr. wade was hired as the lead attorney and he has no experience in criminal cases. that right there is a big red flag. why would she hire him fo

d.a. fani willis, federal election trial indefinitely postponed. first trial will be the hush money case and legal experts say it is the weakest of the four. the u.s. supreme court will likely put him back on colorado's primary ballot. phil, your thoughts on that. >> i agree with that. and let's take it just in the context of this atlanta case in fulton county. let's just say the judge does rule to remove her. then the state will appeal that. on the other hand if the judge rules that she is not going to be removed, then the defense can appeal that probably pre-trial and so this can go to the georgia court of appeals and then the georgia supreme court and any resolution of this trial is going to be put out well beyond the election in november of this year. so this at a minimum is going to delay things. the prospect of conducting a criminal trial. let's say donald trump wins the election. what will the judge do with that then? will he try to put a sitting president on trial in fulton county, georgia? i think the odds of that are pretty slim. but in a

the case is complicated, now, by those allegations of misconduct by d.a. willis in that busy week. i mentioned the fraud trial. -- willis took the stand near the end of the week defending herself. all that is taking more time. and then, while jack smith for the doj has won two rounds, beating trump twice on that immunity issue, that case is now already slated to run later than the new york hush money case. it could be april, may, or far later, if the supreme court slows it down by intervening. this also the federal florida case, which we don't even get into right now. but when you put it all together, what you can see in the new calendar is the predictions start thank you so far. the original prediction was federal cases for us. and, now as you can see, the green confirmed case is the new york case. and the other cases, the doj coup trial, could come sooner or later. we just don't know. so if you take it together, what have we learned over the course of just the last week? well, it's very expensive to be donald trump and tried to defend all of these different civil cases when basica

i told d.a. willis i had lived with bodyguards for four years, and i didn't like it. and i wasn't going to live with bodyguards for the rest of my life. >> i thought this was an important point. he didn't want the job because he didn't want to get death threats from trump supporters for the rest of his life, so nathan wade had the guts to do it. >> yes, and that fits in with what john floyd, fani willis' dad said, that they had to move because of death threats, because of racial epithets and slurs chanted outside her home, fear of harm to her children that was going to come. it fits with the maga agenda. it fits with the maga motive to be able to intimidate, and intimidation is also part of the indictment. there are claims that certain witnesses were intimidated. you heard a former governor say i'm not taking the job because i'm not going to be threatened because i have done it before and gone through it before. >> and it feels like intimidation, humiliation is why we're here now. litigating whether this woman was dating this man and whether she had cash in her house.

d.a. fani willis fights to stay on this case against donald trump in georgia. who was on the stand today? >>> the images coming in tonight. the massive house explosion. word of several children injured. >>> also tonight, macy's closing 150 stores. the other store that company now says it will focus on. >>> and the big test run from wendy's tonight. the plan to charge you higher prices if you get in line during the rush. >> david: good evening, and it's great to have you with us here on a tuesday night. we do begin tonight with severe weather. the tornado watch in chicago. the severe storms from the midwest, then moving east. washington, philadelphia, new york city tomorrow. and tonight, several major wildfires burning out of control in texas. all part of this system. mandatory evacuations in effect. the governor of texas declaring a disaster. and the town of canadian, they are completely surrounded by fire. look at the images coming in tonight. cutting off all roads. people there now ordered to shelter in place. incredibly, flames now 20 feet into the air. the

d.a. out on entertainment and vacations. unless fani willis takes the stand and under oath disproves there's a conflict of interest, the trump attorneys have done a job on the d.a.'s offers and have really undermined the professional ethics behind these prosecutors. also, one little thing. you might have heard a tidbit that is damaging. they suggested that they might have been leaking the grand jury material to reporters to get favorable coverage. if that comes out here, fani willis said she did that under oath, the indictment will be quashed and the prosecution will fall apart. >> martha: that sound like that would be material to whether or not the case can go forward, not just the question of whether or not the behavior of these individuals is suspect and that they need to move to a different prosecutor, correct, john? >> yes, that's right. that was just slipped in by the trump attorneys and mr. wade said i don't know anything about that. they slipped in there were press reports there about what the grand jury has been saying and doing. if t

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