Fani Willis’s relationship with top prosecutor started before she hired him, witness claims

A witness who said she was a former friend of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis testified on Thursday that Willis was romantically involved for years with a special prosecutor she later hired to work on her case against former President Donald Trump.

Robin Yeartie said she was aware of the romantic relationship and witnessed physical affection between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade beginning “soon after” the pair met in 2019, contradicting a sworn affidavit Wade wrote earlier this month saying the relationship began after Willis hired him. Willis appointed Wade to work on the Trump case in November 2021.

Yeartie’s remarks came during a pivotal hearing that a judge held to examine whether Willis had an undisclosed conflict of interest in the case that is grounds for her disqualification.

The accusation surfaced last month in a bombshell court document filed by co-defendant Mike Roman. He accused Willis of personally benefiting from appointing Wade to the Trump case because Willis has been paying Wade hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds to work on the case while secretly carrying on a relationship with him. The relationship, Roman alleged, involved vacations, cruises, dinners, and hotel stays.