Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis found herself in an unusual position this week: inside a courtroom witness box.
Willis surprised the courtroom on Thursday by asking to testify in a two-day hearing to decide whether she should be disqualified from the Trump election interference probe following allegations she misused her office and spent taxpayer money on romantic getaways during her fling with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
The defiant district attorney did not hold back as she slammed defense attorneys for their “highly offensive” court filings, described her father’s stance on cash, revealed her booze of choice, and hinted at a salacious argument with Wade during their relationship, which she says lasted from early 2022 to last summer.
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“The only man who’s ever foot my bills completely is my daddy!” Willis said at one point on Thursday.
Her fiery testimony comes after weeks of headlines about her relationship that have at times overshadowed the criminal charges against former President Donald Trump and his allies for allegedly interfering with the 2020 Georgia election. It will likely prove crucial to Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee’s decision on whether to remove her—or her entire office—from the prosecution, a move that could derail the historic case.
Willis clearly refused to go down without a fight. Here are the top 10 moments from her testimony:
Fani Willis Arrives in the Courtroom
After Wade’s testimony, Willis said she literally “ran” to the courtroom so she could take the stand and testify. This came after Ashleigh Merchant, the lawyer for former Trump aide and co-defendant Mike Roman, called Willis to the stand to clear up any discrepancies on when her romantic relationship with Wade began.
Dramatically entering the courtroom, Willis said she was willing to testify. “I want to go,” she told the judge before taking the stand.
He’s a Southern Gentleman. But I’m Not.
Asking Willis what she did to prepare for Thursday’s hearing, Merchant wondered if the district attorney had met with Wade to discuss the motion that Merchant filed to disqualify Willis from the Trump case. Willis took that opportunity to take a shot at Merchant, whom she repeatedly accused of lying about her.
“I don’t know if you could say ‘talked about.’ I probably had some choice words about some of the things that were dishonest in this motion,” Willis said. “So I don’t know if it was a conversation. As you know, Mr. Wade is a Southern gentleman. Me, not so much.”
Not on The First Meeting!
When Willis first sat on the witness stand, she wasted no time letting Merchant know what she thought about the various court filings the defense lawyer filed ahead of the hearing. She had a bone to pick with Merchant over claims that the DA and Wade began dating right after they met in 2019.
“It's highly offensive when someone lies on you, and it's highly offensive when they try to implicate that you slept with somebody the first day you met with them," Willis said. "And I take exception to it."
I’m Not on Trial, You’re on Trial!
At one point, Merchant said that Willis’ office had objected to providing her with airline records showing how much the district attorney and Wade traveled together. Willis flipped this back on Merchant, letting the lawyer know it was her client and Trump who were actually facing criminal charges.
“I object to you getting records,” Willis exclaimed. “You’ve been intrusive into people’s personal lives. You’re confused. You think I’m on trial? These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I’m not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial.”
Cash Money!
Throughout her hours-long testimony on Thursday afternoon, Willis was grilled about her propensity for carrying around large wads of cash. During his testimony, Wade said that while he would pay for their vacations on his credit cards, Willis would “pay her own way” by giving him cash or paying for things that made the cost of the trip equitable.
According to the DA, her stance on cash was a lesson handed down to her by her father.
“When you meet my father, he’s going to tell you as a woman, you should have at least six months in cash at your house at all times,” she said at one point, before later adding that she doesn’t have checks. Expanding on this, Willis added that having cash could come in handy if a night out turned awry. “If you're a woman and you go on a date with a man, you better have $200 so if that man acts up you can go where you want to go,” she flatly stated.
Make Me a Sandwich?
With both Wade and Willis testifying that their romantic relationship came to an end sometime last summer, the district attorney certainly didn’t portray her ex-boyfriend in the best light at times. She detailed the tension that developed throughout her affair with Wade during a memorable exchange with Trump’s attorney Steve Sadow.
“It’s interesting that we’re here about this money,” she proclaimed. “Mr. Wade is used to women that, as he told me one time, the only thing a woman can do for him is make him a sandwich. We would have brutal arguments about the fact that ‘I am your equal.’ I don’t need anything from a man. A man is not a plan!”
What Did You Say?!
As Sadow continued to probe Willis’ self-professed tendency to carry around thousands of dollars in cash, the Trump attorney’s use of a certain term caused the DA to immediately raise her eyebrows. Sadow, meanwhile, wanted her to quickly know that he was not calling her a, well, you’ll see. Let’s just turn to the transcript:
Sadow: “That $4,000 was part of your, my words, cash hoard that you had collected over time.”
Willis: “Cash what?!”
Sadow: "Hoard. H-o-r-d-e." (Yes, Sadow spelled out the wrong word.)
Willis: “Oh, I thought you said something different, sir!”
Sadow, immediately apologetic: “No! I’m afraid I wouldn’t say that under any circumstances to you or anybody.”
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! No, No, No!
Willis also found herself pressed by Sadow about the number of overseas trips she took with Wade during their romantic relationship. There was one place, though, she revealed she had no interest in visiting.
“I don’t even want to go to Australia,” she bluntly stated.
Goose Is on the Loose
Willis and Wade were both grilled about the luxurious vacations the couple went on during their relationship, but only the district attorney dropped some details on the trips. For example, Willis said that on a 2023 trip to Napa Valley, she paid in cash for two different wine tours that were “pretty expensive.” And it wasn’t even really her thing.
“He likes wine, I don’t really like wine, to be honest with you, I like Grey Goose,” Willis revealed.
Don’t Be Cute
Throughout her time on the stand Thursday, the district attorney never missed an opportunity to call out a defense attorney for their line of questioning. She asked Sadow not to yell at her, accused Merchant of lying, and called out attempts to try to trip her up. In one tense moment, Merchant questioned Willis about how she would split her bills with Wade, and if she ever gave the prosecutor money “outside of a contract.”
“That was cute, but I didn’t give him money in a contract,” she shot back. “Don’t be cute with me and think you’re not gonna get an answer.”
