The former divorce attorney for Fulton County special prosecutor Nathan Wade is expected to resume testimony Tuesday afternoon at a hearing pertaining to the romantic relationship between Wade and District Attorney Fani Willis.
Judge Scott McAfee, who is overseeing the Georgia election interference case against former President Donald Trump and his co-defendants, determined that some of Wade’s communications with his former lawyer Terrence Bradley would not be covered by attorney-client privilege, according to an email chain obtained by NBC News.
The DA’s office and a defense attorney who’s involved in the case confirmed the emails’ validity.
Bradley is expected to testify at a 2 p.m. ET hearing Tuesday.
Defendants in the election case have alleged that Willis and Wade “have enriched themselves off this case” because of their personal relationship. As a result, McAfee has said that it could possibly disqualify Willis from further prosecuting the case against Trump and his co-defendants. Willis has denied any wrongdoing and said that her relationship with Wade began only after she brought him on the case.
During the two-day hearing McAfee held earlier this month in which Willis and Wade both testified, Bradley repeatedly said on the stand that he couldn’t answer questions because they were covered by attorney-client privilege. McAfee, however, said he wanted to meet privately with Bradley and his lawyer to discuss the issue further.
Bradley is likely to be asked about text messages he sent to Ashleigh Merchant, a lawyer for one of Trump’s co-defendants. Merchant has suggested that Bradley has personal knowledge that Willis and Wade’s relationship started before Wade was hired as a special prosecutor — which would conflict with their testimony in court.
The DA’s office and Trump’s defense attorney Steve Sadow declined to comment. NBC News also reached out to Merchant, who represents Michael Roman, the defendant who first made the allegations about Wade and Willis having a relationship.
In early February, Roman’s lawyers wrote in a filing that they believed Bradley has information about the timing of Willis and Wade’s relationship because he was friends with Wade before becoming his lawyer.
Willis and Wade both testified at the previous hearing that their romantic relationship ended during the summer of 2023.
Closing arguments on the motion to disqualify Willis based on the conflict of interest allegations are set to take place Friday and then it’s up to McAfee to issue a decision on the matter.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
