“Devastating” wildfires in Texas have prompted a disaster declaration for dozens of counties and evacuation orders in parts of the Texas Panhandle.
Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster declaration for 60 counties on Tuesday due to “widespread wildfire activity throughout the state.”
The declaration will ensure that fire response resources are quickly deployed to “areas in the Texas Panhandle being impacted by devastating wildfires,” Abbott said in a statement Tuesday.
According to an internal situation report from DHS/CISA, the “wildfires in northern Texas and western Oklahoma prompted a precautionary evacuation of non-essential personnel at the Pantex Nuclear Weapons Plant in Amarillo, TX. All special materials are safe and unaffected. There are no reported impacts to early voting in either state.”
“The Pantex Nuclear Weapons Plant in Carson County evacuated all nonessential personnel and paused operations until further notice due to the ongoing wildfires,” according to the report obtained by ABC News. “All weapons and special materials are safe and unaffected. The facility is approximately 13 miles from the Windy Deuce Fire.”
Additionally, the agency reports “the Smokehouse Creek fire crossed into northwestern Oklahoma, resulting in a hospital and nursing home evacuation in Shattuck, OK. Several state and local highways are also affected by the fires.”
The Texas A&M Forest Service had said it responded to 13 wildfires on Monday, with conditions on Tuesday ideal for more wildfire activity.
“Several large wildfires ignited under warm, dry and windy conditions across the Texas Panhandle,” the agency said on social media earlier Tuesday. “Today, strong winds will likely impact these wildfires and the potential for new ignitions remains.”
Fires continued to impact mainly the central and eastern portions of the Panhandles on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Among the blazes, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County has burned 250,000 acres and is 0% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. There was “extreme fire behavior” associated with the wildfire on Tuesday, with wind gusts up to 60 mph and flames as high as 20 feet in grass, a spokesperson for the agency told ABC News.
The Windy Deuce Fire in Moore County has burned an estimated 38,000 acres and was 20% contained as of Tuesday evening, fire officials said.
“Fire behavior continues to be very active under the influence of high winds,” the Texas A&M Forest Service said on social media.
More than 40 houses were damaged in Fritch, a city located in Hutchinson and Moore counties, since Monday, the city said. Parts of the city have been evacuated.
Mandatory evacuations are in effect for several towns and communities in the Amarillo region, including Skellytown, Wheeler, Allison and Briscoe, the National Weather Service said Tuesday evening. Voluntary evacuations are in effect for Pampa, it said.
Abbott warned that the wildfires could grow in the coming days as high temperatures and windy conditions continue.
“Texans are urged to limit activities that could create sparks and take precautions to keep their loved ones safe,” he said.
ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
(SITKA, Alaska) — Tad Fujioka always had great problem-solving skills. After studying and working as an engineer, he left the field 14 years ago to become a troll fisherman based in Sitka, Alaska.
“If you’re good at solving problems in one environment, that translates directly to another environment,” he told ABC News, adding that there are other benefits to the job. “I love the freedom to follow my instincts, I don’t have to report to a boss, I love being out on the water in a beautiful country.”
Today he’s the chairman of the Seafood Producers Cooperative in Sitka, Alaska, and supports his family by troll fishing on his 31-foot boat, the Sakura. One of the most important types of fish he reels in is king salmon — the largest and most expensive species of salmon in the Pacific.
But now, Fujioka is facing a new problem. The fish, which are also known as Chinook, are vital to the state’s rural economy but are also the primary prey for a group of starving orcas in the Salish Sea known as the southern residents. It’s a recipe for disaster that has Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery caught at the heart of a legal showdown that could potentially stop the king salmon harvest in an effort to help the endangered killer whales.
The case is still working its way through the courts, and has left the small communities on both sides of the issue waiting on a result that will impact their culture, economy and way of life.
“To lose access to the king salmon resource would have turned a marginally poor season into a disastrous season,” said Fujioka, who estimates that these fish accounted for two thirds of his income. “It has a direct effect on rural southeast Alaska.”
In 2019 the federal government acknowledged that Southeast Alaska’s limits for king salmon troll fishing didn’t allow for enough fish to migrate south to southern resident territory.
A year later, the Wild Fish Conservancy, a conservation group in Washington State, filed a lawsuit against the government alleging that it had violated environmental law by continuing to allow the king salmon troll fishery to operate. The government did have a plan to introduce hatchery fish to mitigate the damage, but had not proven that it would be successful and leave enough for the whales.
“If we keep doing what we’re doing, these populations will eventually not exist, and these whales may not exist,” Emma Helverson, executive director of the Wild Fish Conservancy, told ABC News.
In May 2023 a judge ruled in the WFC’s favor, and granted its request to close the fishery while the government determines if a harvest can continue without harming the orcas. But a circuit court panel later reversed this decision, citing a potentially “disastrous” economic impact, after hearing from the Alaska Trollers Association and other parties.
“There’s this perception that Alaska is catching all of their fish — we are viewed as ‘big, bad Alaska,'” said Dani Evenson, of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. “We all share the responsibility of conservation, but people like to point fingers. Everybody wants a silver bullet.”
King salmon is vital to small communities in Alaska King salmon trolling, which is a style of fishing involving small boats and individual fishing lines dragged through the water, has an estimated economic impact of $85 million in Southeast Alaska. In 2022, king salmon caught in Southeast Alaska were valued at just over $16 million, according to data from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game.
In cities like Craig, which has just over 1,000 residents, many families rely on the fishing industry — even the mayor is a commercial troller. He told ABC News the city’s population could decrease by half if king salmon fishing were halted indefinitely. He was also keen to counteract campaigns for consumers to stop eating the fish.
“You’re going to break a bunch of fishermen. You’re going to destroy some communities in Alaska. You’re going to put a bunch of kids out of work or out of school,” he said. “Is that what you want to do by not eating king salmon?”
Julie Yates, who lives in Craig, worked alongside her father on his troll boat for years before becoming a commercial fisherman.
“It’s been the dream to follow in his footsteps and continue this,” said Yates, who has also been teaching her son Bear about the family business and is concerned about the uncertainty the lawsuit has brought.
“It’s hard to even think about what the future looks like,” she said.
The salmon also serves as a food source for locals, which is especially valuable as grocery prices continue to increase. A 2023 report named Alaska the fifth most expensive state in the U.S. in terms of cost of living.
Members of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, for whom king salmon is a traditional food, have also weighed in on the lawsuit, filing an Amicus brief in October last year.
“Salmon — a foundational food source for Southeast Alaska Indigenous communities—are particularly revered. Trolling for Chinook salmon is a traditional, respectful, and sustainable method of harvesting this culturally significant food,” the brief reads, adding that the groups “do not support blunt measures that place the heaviest burdens on the Indigenous people who depend on the Chinook troll industry for both their individual and community wellbeing.”
Clinton Cook Sr., President of the Craig Tribal Association, who was involved in filing the brief, said it’s a common misconception that people in Alaska prioritize industry over the environment.
“That’s about as wrong as it gets,” he said. “We’re the indigenous people of the southeast, we’ve been here for generations. We’re stewards of the land and the water — that’s been our history for thousands of years.”
“We’ve always protected our environment, our fish are sacred to us,” he added. “When people try to take that away, it’s not ok.”
Fates of chinook salmon and orca whales are intertwined Decades ago Chinook were able to survive in the wild for more than nine years, which allowed them to grow to larger than 100 pounds. Today they reach less than a third of that size on average, and their population is decreasing. The total amount being caught or returning to rivers in the Salish Sea has fallen from just over 800,000 in the 1980s to just over 400,000 in 2018, according to data from the Pacific Salmon Commission. Two species of Chinook are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
This is a problem for the ocean’s ecosystem as a whole, but specifically for the southern resident killer whales, officials said. A group of 74 whales made up of three pods whose territory usually extends from the waters around Vancouver Island to the Salish Sea. They have been dubbed “icons of the West coast.”
The whales evolved over hundreds of years to feed specifically on Chinook salmon. After losing a large amount of their population to marine parks in the 1970s and 1980s, and were listed as endangered in 2005. Today they face a multitude of challenges including high levels of toxins in their water and increased noise from boat traffic — both of which are exacerbated by the fact that their primary prey is rapidly declining.
Biologists estimate that 69% of pregnancies among the southern residents fail, largely due to a lack of food.
“They are basically in a constant state of hunger the southern residents go and there’s one fish that they’re trying to share between three or four family members,” said Deborah Giles, science and research director of Wild Orca, who has spent decades studying the whales. “Just in one whale’s lifetime, we have completely changed their ability to survive.”
Whale watching communities need healthy salmon population Meanwhile, 640 miles southeast, the livelihood of another small island community depends on the ocean as well — but in a different way. Friday Harbor, Washington, is a town of about 2,500 people in the picturesque San Juan islands, where whale watching represents 13% of total employment in the region and brings in half a million visitors every year, officials said.
“It’s one of the peak life experiences to see whales in the wild, especially out here,” said Jeff Friedman, a marine naturalist and owner of a whale watching company based in Friday Harbor, noting the island has people coming from as far away as Australia and Europe to see the southern residents and other groups of whales. “Obviously our businesses are dependent on that, as well as the hotels and restaurants and other island businesses that people support when they’re out here.”
These whales are particularly beloved among tourists and residents.
“The southern residents are probably the best known population here,” Amy Nesler, Communications and Stewardship Manager at the San Juan Islands Visitors Bureau, told ABC News. “We end up with newspaper articles every time they have a new calf, or we’ll have a memorial of the ones we lose in a year.”
They used to be a common site on whale watching tours, but have become much more rare in recent years.
“We don’t see them in the inland waters like we used to, because they don’t have salmon,” Friedman said, noting that he and other operators follow a strict set of guidelines prohibiting boats from getting too close to the group to prevent damage from boat noise.
“We have impacted their world,” he said. “I think it gives us not just a sense of responsibility, but a desire to do something right for them and make sure they have the environment to thrive.”
(NEW YORK) — Just days after the untimely death of Flaco, the Eurasian eagle owl who became world famous after escaping from his vandalized enclosure at New York City’s Central Park Zoo, fans and politicians are proposing ideas to preserve his legacy, including erecting a statue in honor of the fugitive fowl.
A Change.org petition had already garnered more than 2,300 signatures as of Tuesday, calling on the city and park officials to create a permanent memorial of the beloved apex predator near one of his favorite Central Park trees.
“I think the legacy of Flaco is he turned a lot of people into bird enthusiasts. He turned a lot of people onto the joy of looking around, viewing the city not as just a concrete jungle,” Manhattan resident Brandon Borror-Chappell, who along with his friend, Mike Hubbard, started the Change.org petition on Sunday, told ABC News.
Hubbard noted that the only other statue honoring a famous real-life animal is the bronze sculpture of Balto, the Alaskan sled dog who in 1925 became a national cause célèbre for leading a team of mushers on the last leg of a 700-mile trek through a blizzard to deliver vaccine to Nome, Alaska, where a diphtheria outbreak was threatening the population.
Unlike Flaco, Balto had no previous connection to New York City other than attending the unveiling ceremony of his statue.
“This is a uniquely New York story,” the 34-year-old Hubbard said of Flaco’s yearlong saga, which captured worldwide attention. “I just think it could only happen here. It was so crazy, funny, it was huge, it was inspiring. It had like a dangerous edge to it. That could only happen here.”
Borror-Cappell, 33, who lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan near Central Park, said Flaco inspired scores of New Yorkers like no other animal before him with the resilience he showed in his quest to live as a free bird.
“He was confined for 13 years and yet when he became his natural self, there was something in him that was unchanged by that confinement,” Borror-Cappell said. “It was so cool to see him figure out how to be an owl.”
Borror-Cappell said that if the statue doesn’t pan out, he still has mementos of Flaco he’ll cherish forever — rodent bones he found in pellets regurgitated by Flaco and found beneath one of the bird’s favorite trees in the North Woods of Central Park.
“I brought them home and I bleached them in peroxide a couple of times, and now I have a collection of little white rat bones that are hygienic and were in the real Flaco’s belly and coughed up in his pellet.”
Flaco died Friday evening after apparently colliding with a building on West 89th Street in Manhattan, according to a statement from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which runs the Central Park Zoo. Residents of the building reported the downed owl to the Wild Bird Fund (WBF), which quickly responded, but Flaco was nonresponsive and declared dead shortly afterward.
The initial findings from a necropsy performed Saturday are consistent with death due to “acute traumatic injury,” WCS officials said.
Two local elected leaders are also trying to preserve Flaco’s legacy with a renewed push for two pieces of legislation to increase protections for birds in New York. One of the bills, the Bird Safe Buildings Act, is being renamed the FLACO Act, also a clever acronym for “Feathered Lives Also Count.”
The FLACO Act would require any new or significantly altered state buildings to incorporate bird-friendly designs, particularly in their windows. Backers of the bill say that nearly 250,000 birds in New York City die each year from collisions with buildings.
A second piece of legislation, the Dark Skies Protection Act, would protect migrating birds from becoming disoriented by bright lights in New York by requiring most non-essential outdoor lighting be covered by an external shield, be motion-activated, or be turned off between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.
“I’m gutted at the death of Flaco the owl, who delighted countless New Yorkers through his presence in Central Park,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who introduced the FLACO ACT, said in a statement.
Hoylman-Sigal, whose district includes the west side of Manhattan, added, “By renaming our legislation to require state-owned buildings to incorporate bird-friendly designs, we’ll not only honor this magnificent creature, but hopefully inspire our legislative colleagues to pass both the FLACO Act and the Dark Skies Protection Act.”
Meanwhile, volunteers scrambled Tuesday ahead of a rainstorm to collect artifacts left at a memorial for Flaco in Central Park.
“We want to preserve the letters and photos, and even paintings that people have left behind in honor of Flaco,” David Barrett, the creator and manager of Manhattan Bird Alert, the go-to New York bird watchers’ social media site boasting more than 91,000 followers on X (formally known as Twitter), told ABC News. “This is something we’ll want to remember, the time that brought people together in the love of Flaco.”
The zoo officials said the vandal who, on the evening of Feb. 2, 2023, cut open the stainless steel mesh of Flaco’s enclosure, enabling the owl to bolt into the wilds of the concrete jungle, is ultimately responsible for his death.
“The vandal who damaged Flaco’s exhibit jeopardized the safety of the bird and is ultimately responsible for his death. We are still hopeful that the NYPD, which is investigating the vandalism, will ultimately make an arrest,” the WCS said in a statement.
(NEW ORLEANS) — A convicted felon who escaped custody on Sunday after pepper spraying his transporting deputy and stealing her car was captured in New Orleans on Tuesday, authorities said.
Leon Ruffin, 51, who had been in custody on a second-degree murder charge, was found at a hotel in New Orleans East, with the help of New Orleans Police and the U.S. Marshals Service, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Joseph Lopinto said in a media briefing Tuesday.
At about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Ruffin was taken into custody at the hotel without incident, said Lopinto.
Search warrants are currently being conducted at the hotel. Authorities believe that Ruffin spent most of his time at the hotel during his escape.
Lopinto said he expects to arrest others for allegedly assisting Ruffin during the past few days.
Lopinto said that Ruffin will now face additional charges, including assaulting a police officer.
Ruffin was arrested in July 2023 and was in custody at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center, authorities said. Since his arrest he had been treated for multiple injuries and was wheelchair-bound with a boot on his leg, the sheriff said.
Shortly before 1 p.m. on Sunday, Ruffin allegedly faked a seizure and fell out of his wheelchair, Lopinto said. He was transported to Ochsner Medical Center’s West Bank campus.
Ruffin was discharged nearly five hours later after a series of tests and put in the back of a sheriff’s vehicle inside a cage to head back to the correctional center, the sheriff said.
As a deputy started driving away from the hospital, Ruffin claimed that his boot was stuck under the cage, causing him pain, according to the sheriff. The deputy stopped the vehicle to check to see if she could fix the boot. As she opened the back, Ruffin pepper sprayed her, removed his boot and stole the vehicle, according to Lopinto. He was not handcuffed or shackled at the time due to his injuries, the sheriff said.
“She treated somebody with compassion that doesn’t deserve compassion, to be honest with you,” Lopinto said during a press briefing earlier Tuesday, adding that they believe he was “milking” his leg injury.
The deputy fired multiple shots as Ruffin was driving away, but there is no indication that he was hit, the sheriff said.
The vehicle was found two and a half hours later, according to Lopinto.
It was unclear where the suspect obtained the pepper spray, authorities previously said. The deputy still had her pepper spray, taser and weapon following his escape.
(WASHINGTON) — Hunter Biden will come face to face this week with the Republicans lawmakers he once accused of trying to kill him to harm his father’s political career in a highly anticipated face-off that could be a pivotal moment for the sputtering GOP-led impeachment inquiry.
Members of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees will interview President Joe Biden’s son on Wednesday during a closed-door session on Capitol Hill.
Republicans hope to elicit revelations that could justify moving forward with their inquiry, whose credibility suffered a blow with the recent indictment of an ex-FBI source who is accused of falsifying the allegations of bribery involving both Bidens that were once a central tenet of the GOP impeachment narrative.
Hunter Biden, who in January abruptly relented his efforts to testify at an open hearing, will likely continue to deny his father had an involvement in his overseas business endeavors. The president has forcefully denied having any role in his son’s work life.
Republicans are also expected to ask him about the ethical implications of his art career and his relationship with Kevin Morris, his friend, attorney, and patron.
But Hunter Biden might otherwise be limited in what he can tell the committee about any matters related to the two federal criminal indictments he faces, a person familiar with his preparations told ABC News.
Hunter Biden has pleaded not guilty to tax-related charges in California and gun-related crimes in Delaware.
Wednesday’s hearing will come after months of public and private wrangling over the nature and extent of Hunter Biden’s cooperation with a congressional subpoena, which Oversight Chairman James Comer and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan first issued in November 2023.
Hunter Biden appeared on Capitol Hill not once, but twice, to challenge Republicans to allow him to testify in public. Republicans declined his overtures, arguing that his initial testimony should take place behind closed doors, as they say is done with all other witnesses. Comer at one point threatened to hold him in contempt of Congress.
Hunter Biden ultimately acquiesced. But a person familiar with the matter said his legal team negotiated conditions for the interview that satisfied their concern that Republicans on the panel would cherry-pick or mischaracterize his testimony.
Notably, the committees agreed to share a transcript of the complete interview to Democrats and Republicans on the committees simultaneously — and subsequently made public as quickly as possible — and that his interview would not be videotaped.
The committees have already interviewed scores of witnesses and reviewed thousands of bank records belonging to Hunter Biden and his uncle, James Biden, who last week told lawmakers that the president had no involvement in the family’s business dealings.
At least nine other key witnesses interviewed as part of the impeachment probe have shared similar exculpatory accounts that undercut key tenets of Republicans’ accusations against the president.
Republicans are nonetheless expected to press Hunter Biden on his role in allegedly selling the Biden “brand” to score lucrative business deals abroad; his proclivity to invoke his family name in business negotiations; and whether any of the millions of dollars he earned from foreign business entities benefitted his father personally.
Those claims are central to Republicans’ accusations against President Biden, even though no concrete evidence has emerged to suggest the president made policy decisions based on his son’s business dealings when he was vice president or at other times or accepted any payments through family members.
Even so, some witnesses have testified that Joe Biden had a more active role in his son’s work than he or the White House have otherwise acknowledged, even if those interactions did not amount to direct financial involvement.
Devon Archer, a former business associate of Hunter and James Biden, said Joe Biden attended at least two dinners with their foreign business partners, although “nothing of material was discussed.”
Archer, who sat with Hunter Biden on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm, also testified that Hunter Biden would often put his father on speakerphone while in the presence of business associates, but said those discussions were often about the weather and other benign subjects.
Notably, Archer said he was not aware of any wrongdoing by Joe Biden.
For his part, Hunter Biden has acknowledged at least one instance in which he and his father discussed his business activities. In an interview with the New Yorker in 2019, Hunter Biden recalled a conversation they had about his appointment to the board of directors of Burisma: “Dad said, ‘I hope you know what you are doing,’ and I said, ‘I do,'” Hunter Biden recalled.
In a statement Tuesday, Comer said the Republican probe will continue — despite Wednesday’s outcome.
“Our committees have the opportunity to depose Hunter Biden, a key witness in our impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, about this record of evidence,” he said. “This deposition is not the conclusion of the impeachment inquiry. There are more subpoenas and witness interviews to come. We will continue to follow the facts to inform legislative reforms to federal ethics laws and determine whether articles of impeachment are warranted.”
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — The Covenant School, which was the site of a 2023 mass shooting, received a bomb threat on Monday, according to a Nashville Police Department spokesperson.
“Yesterday an employee of Covenant School received an emailed bomb threat. We cleared the site, with assistance from a THP (Tennessee Highway Patrol) bomb dog. Our Specialized Investigations Division detectives are working with the FBI to investigate the origin of the threat,” according to a Metropolitan Nashville Police Department spokesperson.
The school referred ABC News to law enforcement when requested for comment regarding the bomb threat.
In March of 2023, Covenant School in Nashville, a private pre-k to sixth grade Christian school, was the site of a mass shooting that killed three students and three employees including the head of school.
The shooter was identified by police as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, who law enforcement said once attended the school.
A police spokesperson told ABC News in March 2023, that Hale was assigned female at birth and pointed to a social media account linked to Hale that included use of the pronouns he/him.
It was the deadliest school shooting in Tennessee history.
(NEW YORK) — Up to 12 feet of snow is heading to California’s Sierra Nevada mountains as a new winter storm bears down on the West Coast.
Winter storm watches have been issued for California, Oregon and Washington.
The storm will begin in the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday and will reach California by Thursday, bringing rain to the San Francisco area and snow to the mountains.
The rain will spread into Southern California from Friday night into Saturday.
The heaviest snow — 4 to 12 feet — will hit the Sierra Nevada mountains Friday to Sunday.
Snowfall rates could reach 1 to 3 inches per hour in the mountains. Strong winds are also forecast to cause blowing and drifting snow, which will reduce visibility and make driving in the mountains extremely dangerous.
The winter storm will spread into the Rockies early next week.
(NEW YORK) — Two men from Queens have been found guilty on all counts in the the Oct. 30, 2002, murder of Jam Master Jay, a member of the iconic hip-hop group Run-DMC.
Karl Jordan Jr., also known as “Little D” and “Noid,” and Ronald Washington, also known as “Tinard,” were each charged with one count of murder while engaged in narcotics trafficking and one count of firearm-related murder for the fatal shooting of Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell.
As part of the 10-count indictment, Jordan was also charged in August 2020 with one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and seven counts of cocaine distribution. Both defendants had pleaded not guilty.
The defense attorneys for Jordan and Washington argued during closing arguments on Wednesday that there is no physical evidence linking their clients to the fatal shooting, according to New York ABC station WABC. The attorneys pointed the finger at a third man who was charged in the fatal shooting, per WABC, who is expected to face trial in 2025.
ABC News reached out to the attorneys representing Jordan and Washington for further comment but requests were not returned.
Each defendant is facing a minimum of 20 years to life in prison or the death penalty, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, which prosecuted this case.
Prosecutors claimed during the trial, which began on Jan. 29, that Mizell was murdered by Jordan and Washington, who was Mizell’s childhood friend, because the famed DJ was allegedly going to cut them out of a cocaine distribution deal — approximately 10 kilograms of cocaine acquired from a narcotics supplier in the Midwest.
Prosecutors alleged an armed Washington and Jordan entered Mizell’s recording studio, 24/7 Studio, on Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens, at around 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 30, 2002.
Once in the studio, Washington pointed his firearm at an individual and demanded that they lie on the floor, while Jordan fired two shots at Mizell at close range, with the fatal shot striking him in the head and another hitting him in the leg, prosecutors said in a statement announcing the indictment.
“The defendants allegedly carried out the cold-blooded murder of Jason Mizell, a brazen act that has finally caught up with them thanks to the dedicated detectives, agents and prosecutors who never gave up on this case,” acting United States Attorney Seth DuCharme said in a statement, announcing the charges.
Mizell rose to fame in the 1980s as part of the pioneering hip-hop trio Run DMC, which was founded in 1983 with Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and Darryl McDaniels. The group was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and received rap’s first Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
(ATLANTA) — Scott McAfee, the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s Georgia election interference case, is hearing arguments over motions to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, primarily over accusations from Trump co-defendant Michael Roman that she benefited financially from a “personal, romantic relationship” with prosecutor Nathan Wade, who she hired for the case.
Willis and Wade, in a court filing, admitted to the relationship but said it “does not amount to a disqualifying conflict of interest” and that the relationship “has never involved direct or indirect financial benefit to District Attorney Willis.”
Feb 27, 3:07 PM Trump attorney now questioning Bradley
Former President Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow is now questioning Nathan Wade’s former law partner Terrance Bradley.
Sadow, who is not present in the courtroom, is questioning Bradley over Zoom.
Feb 27, 2:40 PM Bradley says he does ‘not have the date’ when relationship started
Ashleigh Merchant, the attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, struggled as she began in her direct examination of Wade’s ex-attorney Terrence Bradley as the proceedings quickly got bogged down in objections over privilege.
“A lot of this is based on gossip and innuendo … and privileged information,” the state’s attorney said while objecting to Merchant’s questioning.
The back-and-forth already appears to be frustrating Judge Scott McAfee, who threatened to limit the testimony.
“Ms. Merchant, you don’t have much more to pull on here,” McAfee said.
“He doesn’t remember much of anything right now, and so I’m trying to create a timeline to hopefully piece this together,” Merchant responded regarding Bradley.
While Merchant attempted to ask Bradley about past text messages exchanged — which have not been entered into evidence — Judge McAfee limited the testimony.
Bradley himself said he could not recall when Willis and Wade began their romantic relationship.
“I can’t give you a date if you’re asking for a date,” Bradley said. “If you’re asking me how did I get the knowledge, it would have come directly from a client.”
“At this time, I am telling you that I do not have the date,” Bradley responded when Merchant pushed on the question.
Feb 27, 2:20 PM Judge says attorney-client privilege wasn’t established
Judge Scott McAfee began the hearing by confirming that both Nathan Wade and his former law partner Terrence Bradley did not meet the burden to establish attorney-client privilege “as it relates to Mr. Bradley’s knowledge of any relationship that existed between Ms. Willis and Mr. Wade.”
“I didn’t see any other choice but to allow the parties to have an opportunity to explore that topic with him,” McAfee said regarding Bradley returning to testify.
Bradley then took the stand.
Feb 27, 2:10 PM Hearing is underway
Tuesday’s hearing in Fulton County is underway, with special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s former law partner and divorce attorney, Terrence Bradley, expected back on the witness stand.
Wade is present in the courtroom but so far there is no sign of DA Fani Willis. The attorney for Michael Roman, Ashleigh Merchant, is also in court today, and former President Donald Trump’s attorney is appearing over Zoom.
For the state, Adam Abbate, attorney for the DA’s office, is present.
Feb 27, 12:39 PM Wade’s former attorney to retake the stand this afternoon
Prosecutor Nathan Wade’s former law partner and divorce attorney, Terrence Bradley, will take retake the stand at a hearing this afternoon, after Judge McAfee ruled that Bradley must return to the witness stand to testify on topics not covered by attorney-client privilege.
During the hearing two weeks ago, Bradley cited attorney-client privilege in declining to answer many of the defense’s questions about Wade and Willis’ relationship. Attorneys for the defense have claimed Bradley has evidence that Wade and Willis’ romantic relationship began before Willis hired Wade in November 2021, which would contradict Willis and Wade’s sworn testimony that their relationship began in 2022 and ended in the summer of 2023.
Judge McAfee said during the earlier hearing that he was “left wondering” about whether Bradley had “been properly interpreting privilege.”
Feb 16, 4:43 PM Court adjourns as judge signals it will resume late next week or week after
Court adjourned for the day as the judge signaled court will resume late next week or the following week.
Judge McAfee adjourned the court after denying the state’s request to call a client of Nathan Wade and Terrence Bradley’s law firm who would testify that Bradley allegedly sexually assaulted her.
Feb 16, 4:32 PM Judge suspends Terrence Bradley’s testimony
Terrence Bradley’s testimony has abruptly ended for the day on the request of Judge McAfee, who indicated he now doubts whether Bradley “has been properly interpreting privilege this entire time.”
The stunning development came after Bradley, when questioned by the state, testified about an allegation of sexual assault against him by an employee at the firm he shared with prosecutor Nathan Wade.
That testimony prompted defense lawyers to argue that if the sexual assault allegation is not covered by attorney-client privilege, neither should Bradley’s conversations with Wade about Wade’s relationship with DA Fani Willis.
“He lied,” said prosecutor Anna Cross.
The judge reiterated the need to speak to Bradley in private and suggested he could reopen evidence if he uncovers anything relevant.
He asked Bradley’s lawyer if his client is still in the courthouse and if so to go to the jury room for the private meeting.
Feb 16, 4:22 PM Judge suspends Terrence Bradley’s testimony
Terrence Bradley’s testimony has abruptly ended for the day on the request of Judge McAfee, who indicated he now doubts whether Bradley “has been properly interpreting privilege this entire time.”
The stunning development came after Bradley, when questioned by the state, testified about an allegation of sexual assault against him by an employee at the firm he shared with prosecutor Nathan Wade.
That testimony prompted defense lawyers to argue that if the sexual assault allegation is not covered by attorney-client privilege, neither should Bradley’s conversations with Wade about Wade’s relationship with DA Fani Willis.
“He lied,” said prosecutor Anna Cross.
The judge reiterated the need to speak to Bradley in private – and suggested he could reopen evidence if he uncovers anything relevant.
Feb 16, 4:20 PM Judge expresses frustration at questioning of witness
Testimony from one of the defense’s key witnesses appears to be falling short as the judge seems to grow frustrated with repeated lines of questioning.
“I haven’t really heard a point in a while,” the judge told defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant amid a prolonged questioning of Nathan Wade’s former law partner, Terrance Bradley, about his contract with the DA’s office. “Can we get along to something or we’re gonna have to wrap it up.”
The defense took a hit when the judge ruled earlier against their crime-fraud exception argument that would have compelled Bradley to testify about text messages with Merchant about Wade’s relationship with DA Fani Willis – which Trump’s attorney claimed could show Wade perjured himself on the stand about when that relationship started.
But with the judge blocking that testimony for now, instead, the defense has been focused on long-winding questions about Bradley’s legal contracts and about whether or not he had dinner with Wade or Willis – seemingly not what the defense had hoped would take up the witnesses’ testimony.
At one point, another defense attorney argued to the court that adultery would fall under the crime-fraud exception – but the judge, seemingly growing annoyed, quickly shot it down.
Bradley was first called earlier this morning after the state declined to question Willis but was at a doctor’s appointment. A person with Bradley told ABC News he attended the doctor’s appointment because he figured Willis’s testimony would take up the morning.
The state has forcefully worked all day to invoke privilege to block aspects of Bradley’s testimony.
Feb 16, 3:07 PM Witness ‘sure’ Wade told him about ‘socializing’ with Willis prior to Nov. 2021
Terrence Bradley testified that he is “sure” prosecutor Nathan Wade told Bradley about “socializing” with DA Fani Willis prior to November 2021.
“Did Mr. Wade ever tell you prior to November 1 of 2021 that he had socialized or gone out to eat with Miss Willis in anything other than a professional setting?” asked Donald Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow.
“I’m sure he did,” Bradley replied.
Before that, Bradley also testified that he couldn’t recall if Wade and Willis met privately in Wade’s office.
“Did Miss Willis meet privately with Mr. Wade in his office that you observed?” Sadow asked.
“I can’t recall,” Bradley replied.
Feb 16, 2:45 PM Judge says he will review text messages after hearing
Judge McAfee said Friday he would review Terrance Bradley’s text messages with prosecutor Nathan Wade after the hearing.
McAfee indicated the review would happen on-camera but remain sealed unless he’s “ever directed otherwise.”
“In order to preserve the record, at the conclusion of the hearing, I think I can go on camera with Mr. Chopra and Mr. Bradley and we can put in a sealed filing exactly what the extent of those communications were,” he said.
“Those [would] remain sealed until sometime if we’re ever directed otherwise,” the judge said.
Feb 16, 2:13 PM Trump attorney accuses Nathan Wade of perjury
Trump attorney Steve Sadow accused prosecutor Nathan Wade of perjury on the witness stand, related to when his relationship began with DA Fani Willis.
“Mr. Wade committed perjury on the witness stand,” Sadow said standing in court, continuing his argument for why Terrance Bradley’s testimony regarding his texts and knowledge of Wade and Fani Willis’ relationship.
Bradley has testified that he did not have personal knowledge of the relationship between Wade and Willis. But the defense is arguing the texts would show otherwise.
“A lawyer shall not knowingly failed to disclose and material fact to a tribunal. When disclosure is necessary to avoid assisting a criminal or fraudulent act,” Sadow said.
Feb 16, 2:08 PM Judge rules that witness’ texts do not need to be disclosed
Judge Scott McAfee rejected the defense’s insistence that Terrance Bradley be forced to testify about communications he had with Nathan Wade.
“I don’t think the crime fraud exception covers this,” he said, referring to the legal statute defense lawyers were pushing to force Bradley to disclose his conversations with Wade.
“It does not appear that there’s any evidence that the client ever waived [his attorney-client privilege] and allowed that information to be conveyed to you,” he added later, addressing Mike Roman’s lawyer Ashleigh Merchant.
Feb 16, 1:50 PM Witness says he has ‘no knowledge’ of when Willis-Wade relationship began
After a long back and forth, Terrence Bradley testified that he does not have any personal knowledge of when DA Fani Willis and prosecutor Nathan Wade began their romantic relationship.
“Any knowledge of Nathan Wade and Fani Willis’s romantic relationship beginning while they were both serving as judges– is any knowledge that you have from your own personal knowledge or something that was told to you in furtherance of legal advice?” asked attorney Ashleigh Merchant.
“I have no personal knowledge of when it actually happened,” Bradley replied.
Feb 16, 1:45 PM State working to block testimony from Wade associate Terrance Bradley
The state is forcefully working to block testimony from Nathan Wade’s law partner Terrance Bradley regarding text exchanges he had with defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant in September 2023.
The judge is so far allowing the defense to continue with its questioning of the texts.
At one point, Merchant handed her phone to the state to look at the texts after the state claimed they weren’t sure if the texts were being presented in full.
“These exchanges are just two lawyers gossiping about information,” the state said, while holding Merchant’s phone. “And I’m concerned about it coming into the record in this way.”
The state told the court that they object to the defense even asking questions about the texts because if they were read it would be “inflammatory.”
Feb 16, 1:19 PM Wade associate called to the stand after failing to appear earlier
The defense called prosecutor Nathan Wade’s law partner Terrance Bradley to the stand as the hearing resumed Friday afternoon after a recess.
Bradley was called earlier but did not appear in court. Judge McAfee threatened to hold the witness in violation of a subpoena for his failure to appear. His attorney said he was at a doctor’s appointment.
The state is working to invoke privilege over his testimony.
Feb 16, 12:11 PM Willis’ father testifies he’s rarely seen her due to threats
DA Fani Willis’ father testified more about the fallout the Willis family has faced in light of the ongoing threats she has faced over her work — including how it has forced Willis to limit her contact with her father.
Willis’ father, John Floyd, said “I’ve only seen my daughter — and this is very hard for me to say – but during the period my daughter left, I’ve only seen my daughter 13 times because I can’t.”
Floyd testified that even when he’s seen his daughter, they’ve kept their time together short.
“And we’ve never seen each other for more than maybe three hours because of, you know, the nightmare threats,” he said.
Court recessed for a one-hour break after Floyd stepped down from the stand.
Feb 16, 12:05 PM Willis’ use of cash a ‘Black thing,’ father testifies
DA Fani Willis on Thursday repeatedly testified that when prosecutor Nathan Wade booked their travel or paid for meals, she would repay him with large amounts of cash — an arrangement that appeared to draw skepticism from defense counsel.
On the stand today, Willis’ father, John Floyd, explained his daughter’s use of cash as “a Black thing.”
“I was trained — and most black folks — they hide cash, or they keep cash,” Floyd said. “I’ve told my daughter: ‘You keep six months’ worth of cash — always.”
“And as a matter of fact, I gave my daughter her first cash box and told her always keep some cash,” he testified.
Feb 16, 11:58 AM Willis’ father testifies he didn’t meet Wade until 2023
DA Fani Willis’ father, John Floyd, testified that he did not meet prosecutor Nathan Wade until 2023.
“Did you ever meet Mr. Wade in the year 2019?” Michael Roman’s attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked Floyd.
“Absolutely not,” Floyd replied.
“You ever seen Mr. Wade at Miss Willis [at the] Fulton County house in the year 2021?” Merchant asked.
“Never,” Floyd said.
Feb 16, 11:54 AM Willis’ father describes ‘nightmare threats against her and me’
Fani Willis’ father, John Floyd, described in detail the extent of the threats and abuse his daughter faced as her investigation into the former president ramped up, which eventually prompted her to leave her home.
“There have been so many death threats,” he said. “And they said they were going to blow up the house, they were going to kill her, they were going to kill me, they were going to kill my grandchildren — I mean, on and on and on.”
Floyd said he lived with his daughter around the time, and that at one point the police sent an officer with a dog to sniff for bombs multiple times each day.
“Did you fear for her safety?” a state attorney asked.
“Absolutely,” Floyd replied.
Floyd said that after Willis left the home, he lived there himself until December of 2022 — when he said the “nightmare threats made against her and me” made the home “uninhabitable.”
“I would have to walk around that house looking out of every window” to ensure no intruders were approaching the home, Floyd said.
Feb 16, 11:48 AM Ex-governor turned down role before it was offered to Wade
Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes testified that early in DA Fani Willis’ election interference probe, he was asked by Willis about taking the special prosecutor role in the investigation, but that he turned it down.
The former governor initially said he didn’t remember the day when that meeting occurred.
But after stepping off the stand, about 10 minutes later Barnes walked back into the courtroom with his phone in his hand and calendar app pulled up, to tell the court the date he had found.
He said that the meeting where he turned down the special prosecutor position was on Oct 26, 2021 — which would have been a few days before Nathan Wade was contracted for the position on Nov. 1, 2021.
Feb 16, 11:34 AM Judge slams Wade associate for not appearing
A visibly irritated Judge McAfee threatened to hold a potential witness in violation of a subpoena for his failure to appear at the hearing today.
Terrence Bradley, a former associate of and lawyer for Nathan Wade, took the stand on Thursday and largely declined to answer questions, citing attorney-client privilege. The state intended to call Bradley back to the stand on Friday, but his attorney said he was at a doctor’s appointment.
Bradley’s failure to appear caused a roughly 90-minute delay before proceedings resumed.
“The notice in this hearing indicated it would last at least two days,” McAfee said. “So right now, I think he’s in violation of a subpoena.”
An attorney for Bradley said he would encourage his client to return to court as quickly as possible to resume testimony this afternoon.
DA Fani Willis’ father is now on the stand.
Feb 16, 11:02 AM State calls former Georgia governor as witness
Court is now back in session following a break.
The state has called former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes to the stand.
Barnes is the first witness in the state’s case, followed by Willis’ father, John Floyd III.
Feb 16, 10:19 AM State was ‘satisfied’ with Willis’ testimony, source says
A source familiar with the state’s decision-making process tells ABC News the state did not recall DA Fani Willis to the stand because they were ultimately “satisfied” with her testimony Thursday.
The source said they felt Willis “addressed everything,” and that they could stand on that testimony moving forward.
“Why reopen it?” the source said.
As a result of the state deciding not to cross-examine Willis, the defense now won’t have a chance to question her again.
Feb 16, 9:26 AM Former associate of Wade expected to testify next
Less than 10 minutes after the hearing started, the court is in recess until Judge McAfee hears from both parties.
Terrance Bradley, a former business associate of Nathan Wade, is expected to testify but he is not in court yet.
Bradley briefly testified Thursday but the issue of attorney-client privilege came up and he was dismissed.
Attorneys are currently going over the questions for Bradley that won’t violate privilege.
Feb 16, 9:19 AM Willis does not take stand on Day 2 of hearing
After a dramatic and heated Day 1, DA Fani Willis is not taking the stand for Day 2 of the hearing.
The state told the court they have no further questions for the district attorney.
Multiple attorneys for defendants in the case, including Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow and Michael Roman’s attorney Ashleigh Merchant, are in the courtroom, but Willis is not present.
Judge Scott McAfee said his goal is to finish up the evidentiary hearing today.
Feb 15, 5:35 PM Court adjourns, Willis will be back on stand Friday
DA Fani Willis stepped off the stand for the day following more than two hours of highly charged testimony.
The DA is scheduled to be back on the stand tomorrow morning for the hearing’s second day.
Judge McAfee reviewed other motions for Day 2, then adjourned the hearing until Friday.
Willis did not respond to questions from ABC News after leaving the courtroom.
Feb 15, 5:21 PM Willis questioned by lawyers for other co-defendants
After Trump attorney Steve Sadow wrapped up his questioning of DA Fani Willis, the attorneys for other co-defendants got their chance — but the judge appeared to grow frustrated as defense attorneys attempted to find new lines of questioning.
Allyn Stockton, representing co-defendant Rudy Giuliani, asked Willis about contracts given to Wade’s law partners.
“Did Wade’s law partners, Bradley and Campbell, also get contracts with the DA’s office?” Stockton asked.
“Yes but only for a short time after I first became DA. Then I let them go when my office was properly staffed,” she replied.
Harry MacDougald, representing co-defendant Jeffrey Clark, briefly questioned Willis about her financial disclosure form before the judge told him to sit down.
“I don’t believe she answered that question, Your Honor,” MacDougald said.
“She answered as to specific individual gifts,” Judge McAfee, appearing more frustrated, responded. “And you’re not listening to my answer either. So we’re done.”
Feb 15, 4:56 PM Willis says she didn’t consider relationship romantic before hiring
Pressed further by Trump attorney Steve Sadow, DA Fani Willis testified regarding prosecutor Nathan Wade that she did “not consider our relationship to have become romantic until 2022.”
“I don’t consider my relationship to be romantic with him before that,” she said of Wade’s hiring.
Sadow suggested that Wade and Willis have not been truthful about the timing.
When he asked Willis who she told about the relationship, Sadow suggested her “failure” to notify other members of team suggests that the relationship “was not as its been characterized to the court” and “that it started earlier than what they say.”
Willis said her and Wade were friends since at least 2020.
“I want to be clear, because my credibility is being evaluated,” she said.
Feb 15, 4:47 PM Willis testifies early relationship with Wade wasn’t romantic
DA Fani Willis was pressed repeatedly by Trump attorney Steve Sadow about whether Willis had a romantic relationship with Wade prior to November 2021.
“I’m asking you whether or not prior to Nov. 1 of 2021, there was a romantic relationship with Mr. Wade?” Sadow asked.
“I didn’t consider my relationship with him to be romantic before that,” Willis said.
Sadow asked Willis whether Wade visited the condo leased by her friend Robin Yeartie. Willis previously said she took over Yeartie’s lease at one point and paid her rent.
“Would you give us an approximation of how many times Mr. Wade visited you at the condo between the time you moved in and prior to November 2020?” Sadow asked.
“I don’t think often, but I don’t — I don’t want to speculate,” Willis replied.
Feb 15, 4:35 PM Trump attorney questions Willis in tense exchange
Former President Trump’s attorney Steven Sadow is now questioning Fani Willis on the stand.
As Sadow stepped up to question her, he started with a veiled dig at the DA.
“I’m going to try to ask you questions that you can actually answer without having to explain, OK?” Sadow said.
“Yes, sir. My comprehension skills are pretty good. So we should do all right,” Willis replied.
“We shall soon see,” Sadow said.
Sadow began questioning Willis about her condo, which Wade testified earlier that he visited before being hired.
At one point when Sadow raised his voice, Willis said, “You don’t have to yell at me.”
Feb 15, 4:14 PM Judge urges decorum after heated moment
Following a brief recess, the hearing resumed with Judge Scott McAfee urging decorum following the shouting match.
“I advise everyone — this being a room mostly full of lawyers — I urge everyone to keep those principals in line and not talk over each other,” the judge told the court.
But as Willis’ heated testimony continued, the judge threatened to strike Willis’s testimony.
“I’m going to have to caution you — you have to listen to the questions asked, and if this happens again and again, I’m going to have no choice but to strike your testimony,” the judge told the DA.
Feb 15, 4:02 PM ‘You lied,” Willis tells defense attorney who filed allegations
DA Fani Willis heatedly told defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant “You lied” just before a shouting match broke out.
“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 ” Willis said forcefully from the stand.
Speaking earlier about prosecutor Nathan Wade, Willis said she and Wade had a “tough conversation” in August after their relationship ended, but that her respect for him has grown “over the seven weeks of these attacks.”
That prompted an objection from Trump attorney Steve Sadow.
Willis than answered by saying “You lied” to Merchant, and a shouting match ensued between Sadow, Merchant, Willis and the judge.
The court then went into a brief recess.
Feb 15, 3:52 PM Willis testifies that she paid for trips in cash
DA Fani Willis pointedly testified that she paid prosecutor Nathan Wade for the cruise they took and Aruba trip they went on — in cash — before they even went.
“Did you pay him back? For the cruise and for Aruba?“ asked defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant.
“Yeah, I gave him his money before we ever went on that trip,” Willis replied.
“And so when you got cash to pay him back on these trips, did you go to the ATM?” asked Merchant.
“No,” said Willis.
“So the cash that you would pay him, you wouldn’t get it out of the bank?” Merchant asked.
“I have money in my house,” Willis replied. “For many, many years I have kept money in my house.”
“I just have cash in my house,” Willis continued. “I don’t have as much today as I would normally have, but I’m building back up now.”
Willis testified that her father says, “As a woman you should always … you should have at least six months in cash at your house at all time.”
“I don’t know why this old black man feels like that. But he does,” she said.
Feb 15, 3:41 PM Willis says she and witness haven’t had ‘consistent friendship’
DA Fani Willis, in heated testimony, said that Robin Yeartie, who testified earlier, betrayed her friendship and that both of them have not retained a “consistent friendship.”
“There’s a saying, ‘No good deed goes unpunished,'” Willis said. “And I think that she betrayed our friendship.”
“I ran into her about 10 years ago in Atlanta, Georgia,” Willis said of Yeartie. “So we didn’t talk throughout that time period. I didn’t see her. I didn’t even know where she was.”
“And so yes, I have known her probably since 1990, 1991, but we have not maintained a consistent relationship that whole time,” Willis added.
Earlier, Yeartie testified that Willis told her about the romantic relationship with Wade.
Yeartie said she saw them “hugging, kissing, just affection.”
Willis said at one point said she took over Yeartie’s lease and would pay her rent in cash or by Cash App.
Feb 15, 3:34 PM Willis testifies she and Wade began dating in 2022
DA Fain Willis, on the stand, testified that she and prosecutor Nathan Wade began dating in 2022 — rebutting an earlier witness who testified the relationship began before Wade was hired.
Speaking about a trip that she and Wade took in April 2022, Willis testified they began dating “right around then.”
“When did you start dating?” defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked.
“It was right ’round then,” Willis responded.
“April 2022?” Merchant asked.
“Around then,” Willis said.
Feb 15, 3:20 PM Willis, on the stand, slams accusations and media coverage
DA Fani Willis began her testimony by slamming the allegations against her, as well as co-defendant Mike Roman’s attorney, and the news media for its coverage.
“I’ve been very anxious to have this conversation with you today,” Willis said almost immediately. She also said, “I’ve been in the office pacing.”
Willis plainly accused Roman’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant of lying, and assailed the media.
“It seems today, a lawyer writes a lie and then it’s printed to all the world to see,” Willis said.
Willis’ remarks drew objection from Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow.
“I object to the speech making,” Sadow said, but Willis kept going.
“It’s highly offensive when someone lies on you,” Willis said.
Feb 15, 3:06 PM Willis walks in unannounced, will take stand
As attorneys were arguing over DA Fani Willis’ testimony, Willis surprised the courtroom by walking in to the courtroom unannounced, and prosecutors withdrew their motion to quash the subpoena for her testimony.
The DA is now expected to take the stand.
Feb 15, 2:55 PM Wade testified his income decreased with case
Under questioning from an attorney with the DA’s office, prosecutor Nathan Wade testified that his income decreased after signing on to work with Fulton County, and that he had to work “so many hours” that he couldn’t get paid for.
“In 2022, your estimated monthly income at that time was $14,000 a month?” special prosecutor Anna Cross asked.
“Yes,” Wade replied.
“In 2023, what did that number come to?” asked Cross.
“$9,500,” Wade said.
When asked about the hours Wade worked that he didn’t get paid for due to a cap, because of a cap, Wade said there were “so many hours” that he worked that he couldn’t get paid for.
“This invoice makes me cry,” Wade said. “There’s so many hours here that I worked that I couldn’t I couldn’t get paid for.”
“This is not the type of job that you can walk away from just because you’re not getting paid for it,” Wade said.
Feb 15, 2:47 PM Wade asked about visiting Willis’ condo
Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow asked Wade about visiting Willis’ Atlanta-area condo before November 2021, which would have been prior to his getting a contract with the DA office.
“Did you and Ms. Willis go to the Hapeville condo prior to Nov. 1, 2021?” Sadow asked.
“Yes,” said Wade, who said he “maybe went to talk about a document that I received.”
Sadow then asked Wade if phone records showed Wade made calls from Willis’ condo prior to November 2021 ,would they be wrong.
“Yes sir,” Wade replied.
Asked what other reasons phone records would show him making calls from that area if they were not made from Willis’ apartment, Wade pointed to the airport near Hapeville.
Feb 15, 2:19 PM Wade testifies divorce timing was a coincidence
Donald Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow asked Nathan Wade why he filed his divorce after being hired by Fulton County.
“Can you answer the question why you waited until Nov. 2, the day after you were hired by Miss Willis. to file for divorce?” asked Sadow.
“I can’t,” Wade replied.
Wade explained that because his ex-wife had relocated to Texas, he was only able to serve her the divorce papers when she returned to Georgia.
“It was purely by coincidence that I filed the day after the contract with the DA’s office,” Wade said.
Feb 15, 2:16 PM Wade pressed on why Willis reimbursed trip costs in cash
In a stern line of questioning, Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow challenged prosecutor Nathan Wade on why DA Fani Willis would reimburse him in cash for travel and trips.
“You would have received thousands of dollars in cash from Miss Willis, correct?” Sadow asked.
“Yes, sir,” replied Wade.
Trump’s attorney then asked Wade if he “knew the source of the cash” – which Wade said he did not, claiming it was “out of her pocketbook.”
Sadow followed up, wondering why Willis’ form of repayment didn’t stand out to Wade.
“The whole time that you she was paying you in cash, you never said, ‘Hey, why do you have this amount of cash?'” Sadow asked.
Wade answered that in his law practice, “people come into my law firm all the time with cash” and that he “never questioned where they got it.”
Sadow shot back, saying, “But we’re talking not about people that come into your law firm — we’re talking about the district attorney of Fulton County, who I’m assuming receives a paycheck. She doesn’t get paid in cash.”
Wade also testified that he never saw any records of Willis making cash withdrawals.
Feb 15, 2:09 PM Wade testifies relationship with Willis ended last year
Facing questions from former President Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow for the first time, prosecutor Nathan Wade testified that his relationship with Willis ended in the summer of 2023.
“I would say June maybe,” Nathan said of the timing.
Sadow and Wade then went through an awkward line of questioning regarding whether Wade had a “personal” relationship after the breakup.
“Are you asking me if I had intercourse with the district attorney?” Wade asked bluntly.
“I was trying not to,” Sadow responded. Wade eventually answered no.
Sadow also peppered Wade with questions about who knew about the relationship.
“If it was a legitimate relationship, is there any reason this relationship was kept secret or private?” he asked.
“We weren’t trying to keep anything secret, Mr. Sadow,” Wade said later.
Feb 15, 2:04 PM Defense questions Wade on his contract with Fulton County
Craig Gillen, the attorney for Trump co-defendant David Shafer, pressed Nathan Wade on his contract with Fulton County, how much he was paid, and the timeline of his personal relationship with DA Fani Willis.
“During the course of romantic relations, yes or no — you signed [the] extension on November the 15th, 2022?” Gillen asked, referring to Wade’s contract with Fulton County.
“The answer to that question is yes,” Wade replied.
“Ater the Aruba trip, you get re-upped with a new contract?” Gillen asked.
“Correct,” replied Wade.
Asked by Gillen about an invoice that billed Fulton County for “24 hours of work in one day,” Wade said the date reflects when he completed the task of preparing the election case for pretrial.
“Tell the court what you billed for on November 5, 2021,” Gillen said.
“On November the 5th, I completed the task of preparing the cases for pretrial,” Wade said. “That’s the date I completed…” Wade continued, before being interrupted by Gillen, who said, “Just read it.”
Feb 15, 1:43 PM Wade questioned if he had ‘sexual relations’ with Willis
Prosecutor Nathan Wade was questioned by defense counsel regarding his relationship with DA Fani Willis and specifically asked if he had “sexual relations” with her.
He was specially questioned by Craig Gillen, the attorney for Trump co-defendant David Shafer, about answers he gave on a interrogatory related to Wade’s divorce, when Wade was asked if he had any sexual relations with a woman during his marriage and separation to his now-ex-wife.
“Let’s just get down to it,” Gillen asked Wade. “Did you or did you not, by May the 30th, 2023, have had sexual relations with Miss Willis, yes or no?”
“Yes,” Wade replied.
Wade was then asked why he answered “none” on the interrogatory related to the divorce.
“I didn’t answer ‘no’ to the question you just asked,” Wade said. “I answered ‘no’ to the interrogatory question.”
Wade was then pressed on the cash payments he earlier testified that Willis made to him to reimburse him for travel costs.
“You don’t have a single solitary deposit slip to corroborate or support any of your allegations that you were paid by Ms. Willis in cash, sir? Not a single, solitary one?” Gillen asked.
“Not a single one,” Wade replied.
Feb 15, 12:54 PM Wade testifies he never discussed relationship publicly
Prosecutor Nathan Wade testified that he never talked about his romantic relationship with DA Fani Willis in social settings, after a witness earlier testified that she had observed the relationship.
“Did you discuss your personal relationship, your private personal romantic relationship, with Miss Willis in social settings?” defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked Wade.
“No, ma’am,” Wade replied.
Merchant then asked if Wade ever discussed his relationship with Willis while around Robin Yeartie, the friend of Willis who testified earlier that Wade and Willis’ relationship began prior to the start of the Trump election interference case.
Wade testified that he did not.
Wade said he and Willis are “private people” and said their relationship “wasn’t a secret. It was just private. So not at all … I wouldn’t have discussed my relationship with Miss Yeartie or anyone else.”
Feb 15, 12:19 PM Wade testifies Willis often paid him back for their travels
Addressing allegations that he paid for DA Fani Willis’ travel when the two of them traveled together, prosecutor Nathan Wade testified that Willis often paid him back in cash or spent money on him in other ways so that expenses roughly “balanced out,” insisting that Willis “carries her own weight.”
“All of the vacations she took, she paid you cash?” defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked.
“Yes ma’am,” Wade said.
The defense has accused Willis of improperly benefiting financially from the relationship, by paying Wade a salary that was then used to pay for their travels together.
Speaking more broadly, Wade insisted that throughout their entire relationship, Willis paid her own way, painting it as character trait of hers.
“If you’ve ever spent any time with Mrs. Willis you understand she’s a very independent proud woman, so she’s going to insist that she carries her own weight,” he testified.
“It actually was a point of contention between the two of us,” Wade said. “She was going to pay her own way.”
Wade went through the various trips booked on his credit card, one by one, including trips to Napa Valley and Belize. In one instance, Wade testified it was actually Willis who paid for the “entire trip” — despite the fact that it was on his credit card.
On the Napa trip, Wade testified that Willis paid for the excursions, “so the expenses sort of balances out.” He said it was like any relationship: “In a relationship, you don’t — particularly men — you don’t go asking back,” Wade said. “You’re not keeping a ledger.”
Feb 15, 11:45 AM Wade testifies his relationship with Willis began in 2022
Prosecutor Nathan Wade, refuting earlier testimony claiming his relationship with DA Fani Willis started before she hired him on the election interference case case in November 2021, testified that the relationship started in 2022.
“When did your romantic relationship with Mrs. Willis begin?” defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked him.
“2022,” Wade replied.
“When?” Merchant pressed.
“Early 2022,” Wade responded.
“What’s early?,” Merchant asked.
“Around March,” Wade said.
Wade was then asked about conversations he and Willis had around their first meeting in 2019. He testified that they spoke two or three times in 2019.
“She felt comfortable calling for advice,” he testified.
He said the calls progressed and they spoke more frequently. He testified that in 2021, the discussions between him and Willis became “frequent.”
Feb 15, 11:29 AM Wade testifies he’s ‘not recalling’ traveling with Willis in 2021
Special prosecutor Nathan Wade, asked if he traveled with DA Fani Willis around the time prior to the Trump election interference case being launched, stated that he’s “not recalling” that after being pushed to answer “yes” or “no.”
When asked by the defense if he traveled with Willis in 2023 or 2022, Wade said he did — but he gave a different answer when asked about 2021.
“Did you travel with her in 2021?” defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant asked.
“I’m not recalling any travel in 2021,” Wade replied.
“It’s not yes or no, you just don’t remember?” Merchant pressed.
An attorney for the DA said during Merchant’s questioning, “We’re going pretty far field into divorce matters.” But the judge let questioning continue.
Feb 15, 11:05 AM Nathan Wade takes the stand
Special prosecutor Nathan Wade is now on the stand.
Fulton County prosecutors made a motion to quash the subpoena for Wade to testify, but Judge Scott McAfee rejected the motion, saying the “evidence in front of the court at the moment” is that a witness testified that the relationship predated his hiring, which contradicts their court filing.
“I don’t see a way around the relevance of his testimony,” said the judge.
Feb 15, 11:00 AM Witness testifies Willis told her of relationship with Wade
Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow drilled down into the testimony from Former DA office employee Robin Yeartie that Willis told her repeatedly that she and Wade were in a relationship before he was hired in 2021.
“Told you that in the year of 2020?” Sadow asked.
“Yes,” Yeartie said.
“In the year of 2021?” Sadow asked.
“Yes,” Yeartie said.
“Are you certain that Mrs. Willis told you about the romantic relationship with Mr. Wade prior to November 1 of 2021?, Sadow asked.
“Yes,” Yeartie said.
Yeartie also testified she saw them “hugging, kissing, just affection.”
All before he was hired?
“Yes,” Yeartie said.
Feb 15, 10:48 AM Former employee testifies that Willis, Wade were dating earlier
Former DA office employee Robin Yeartie testified that Fani Willis and Nathan Wade began dating prior to the Trump election interference case — contradicting the claim in the state’s court filing that the relationship started after Wade was hired.
“You know their personal relationship began shortly after” they met at a conference in October 2019, attorney Merchant asked the witness.
The witness, who said she was a old friend of Willis, replied, “Yes.”
Yeartie is testifying via Zoom after she didn’t appear in the courtroom.
The state is objecting to questions from the defense seemingly at every chance they can, which is significantly slowing down the proceedings. The judge has remained patient, but Michael Roman’s attorney Ashleigh Merchant appears to be growing frustrated with the state’s strategy.
Feb 15, 10:34 AM Wade associate invokes attorney-client privilege
Terrance Bradley, a former law partner of Nathan Wade, is declining to answer questions about Fani Willis and Wade’s relationship, citing attorney-client privilege.
“I was advised by the bar … I cannot reveal anything that I saw or learned,” Bradley said. “I am here because I also have a law license and I’m not trying to lose that.”
The judge pushed back, saying, “That’s a broader representation of attorney-client privilege than I’ve ever heard.”
The debate has drawn the first comments from Donald Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow, who said of Bradley’s view of attorney-client privilege, “There is no such case law.”
Sadow even suggested Bradley be held in contempt if he continues to refuse to answer questions.
Feb 15, 10:07 AM Associate of Wade’s takes the stand
Michael Roman’s attorney Ashleigh Merchant called her first witness in the effort to disqualify DA Fani Willis — a former DA office employee named Robin Yeartie, who Merchant says has firsthand knowledge that Wade and Willis’ relationship began before he was hired, in contradiction to Wade’s sworn affidavit — but Yeartie is not in court yet.
As a result, a new first witness has taken the stand: Terrence Bradley, a former business associate of prosecutor Nathan Wade who represented him in his divorce case.
“It wasn’t my choice,” Bradley said of having to testify today.
The state has objected to Bradley’s testimony, saying it is protected by attorney-client privilege. But Roman’s team says the information is not related to his representation of Wade in the divorce matter.
Feb 15, 9:39 AM Hearing is underway
The evidentiary hearing is underway in front of a packed courtroom.
DA Fani Willis has not yet entered the courtroom, but special prosecutor Nathan Wade is present, along with multiple attorneys for defendants in the DA’s election interference case, including Trump attorney Steve Sadow and Mike Roman’s attorney Ashleigh Merchant.
Two of Trump’s co-defendants in the case, Harrison Floyd and David Shaffer, are also in attendance.
Feb 15, 9:24 AM Trump attending NYC hearing
Former President Trump’s attorney has arrived for the Fulton County proceedings, but his client won’t be attending the hearing.
Instead, Trump is attending a hearing in his criminal hush money case in New York.
The former president is not required to be at either of the two hearings taking place today.
Feb 15, 8:45 AM Attorneys have clashed in court filings
The district attorney’s office and attorneys for the defendants have traded accusations in a series of court filings leading up to Thursday’s hearing.
Trump co-defendant Michael Roman has accused Fani Willis and Nathan Wade of violating “laws regulating the use of public monies” and says they “suffer from irreparable conflicts of interest.” Specifically, he alleges Wade paid for multiple trips for him and Willis, including to Napa Valley and Belize. Credit card statements later revealed Wade paid for at least two flights for Willis on his credit card.
Wade, in an affidavit submitted to the court, said expenses between him and Willis were “roughly divided equally” and that he used his personal funds. The affidavit also said the relationship started after he was hired on the case in 2021, and that he and Willis have never cohabitated.
However, Roman’s attorney, Ashleigh Merchant, has alleged some of the statements in Wade’s affidavit were inaccurate. Merchant says she a witness ready to testify that the relationship predated Wade’s hiring, which would dispute Wade’s affidavit.
(SPARTA TOWNSHIP, PA.) — Police are searching for leads after a 23-year-old pregnant Amish woman was killed in Pennsylvania, authorities said.
On Monday afternoon, police responded to a home in Sparta Township, about 35 miles southeast of Erie, where they found Rebekah Byler dead, Pennsylvania State Police said.
Byler’s death is considered a homicide and “police are aggressively investigating all available leads,” police said.
Police ask the public to report any suspicious people, cars or activity in the area of Fish Flats Road to the authorities at 814-663-2043.
