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Fani Willis Testifying At A Hearing. Aired 3:30-4p ET
Aired February 15, 2024 - 15:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:30:00]
ASHLEIGH MERCHANT, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I'm not asking about reimbursement or after. He used his credit card to buy the cruise and buy the flight, correct?
FANI WILLIS, DISTRICT ATTORNEY OF FULTON COUNTY: I have no idea how he paid for it.
MERCHANT: OK.
WILLIS: If it's a credit card, if it's a debit card, but certainly he called his cruise agent. You know, like how many people have a cruise agent? He calls his cruise agent, tells them where they want to go. They tell him what's booked.
You have to remember he didn't just he paid for that initial was me, him, and his mother.
MERCHANT: And then after that cruise, you all flew to Aruba and spent a couple days in hotel there, correct?
WILLIS: Right. And his mother was not happy (CROSSTALK)
MERCHANT: He initially paid for that. He initially paid for that.
WILLIS: For Aruba. Yes, ma'am.
MERCHANT: So let's talk about both of those. I know he initially paid for it. Did you pay him back?
WILLIS: For the cruise and for Aruba. Yes, I gave him his money before we ever went on that trip.
MERCHANT: You gave him cash before you ever went on the trip?
WILLIS: Mm-hmm.
MERCHANT: OK. And so when you got cash to pay him back on these trips, would you go to the ATM?
WILLIS: No, lady.
MERCHANT: You would not go to the ATM?
WILLIS: No. MERCHANT: OK. So Fulton County pays you direct deposit, I assume?
WILLIS: Yes, Fulton County and the state of Georgia both pay me direct deposits.
MERCHANT: OK. So the cash that you would pay him, you wouldn't get it out of the bank?
WILLIS: I have money in my house.
MERCHANT: You have money in your house. So it was just money that was there.
WILLIS: When you meet my father, he's going to tell you as a woman, you should always have, which I don't have. So let's don't tell him that. You should have at least six months in cash at your house at all time.
Now, I don't know why this old black man feels like that, but he does. When we were growing up, my daddy had three safes in the house. So my father's bought me a lock box and I always keep cash in the house.
Now, I don't do it to the degree that my father would do it. So he would probably be ashamed with me, but I always have cash at the house. That has been, I don't know, all my life.
If you're a woman and you go on a date with a man, you better have $200 in your pocket. So if that man acts up, you can go where you want to go. So I keep cash in my house and I don't keep cash as good in my purse like I used to. I don't go on many dates, but when you go on a date, you should have cash in your pocket.
MERCHANT: So my question was, where did that cash originally come from? If it hadn't come out of the bank.
WILLIS: Cash is fungible. It have cash for years in my house. So for me to tell you the source of when it comes from, when you go to Publix then you buy something, you have $50, you throw it in there. It's been my whole life.
When I took out a large amount of money on my first campaign, I kept some of the cash of that. Like, to tell you, I just have cash in my house. I don't have as much today as I would normally have, but I'm building back up now. So you just put money in. It's a very good practice. I would advise it to all women.
MERCHANT: So you can't identify when you came into this cash or where the cash came from?
WILLIS: I didn't say I couldn't identify it. Nobody gives me anything. I am sure that the source of the money is always the word sweat and tears of me.
What you asked me for is, when did the money go in there? What I am trying to tell you is -- so I got divorced in 2005 from my husband.
MERCHANT: And --
WILLIS: No, no, no, no. It's important. You said, where did the money come from, and I need to tell you where the money came from.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She just answered your question.
WILLIS: And so for many, many years, I have kept money in my house. That money in my worst days has probably only been $500 or $1,000. At my best days, I probably had $15,000 in my house I keep cash.
At all times, there's going to be cash in my house. Or wherever I'm laying my head.
MERCHANT: The money that you paid, Mr. Wade, the cash in October of 2022, you do not know where that money came from.
WILLIS: I do know where it came from. It came from my sweat and tears.
MERCHANT: You know which job it came from. Did it come from Fulton County or did it come from a private job?
WILLIS: It came from, I'm not a -- what are you talking about? So it could have come from a private job because before I was DA, I was in private practice. So I earned money during that time period, that's probably in there.
MERCHANT: You don't know where it came from.
WILLIS: What do you mean I don't know where it came from? I absolutely didn't.
SCOTT MCAFEE, JUDGE, FULTON COUNTY, GEORGIA SUPERIOR COURT: I understand the situation. We can move on.
MERCHANT: OK. Thanks. Same with the Aruba. You don't know where that cash came from either, right?
WILLIS: Ma'am, you are mischaracterizing my testimony greatly. I'm not going to allow you to mischaracterize my testimony. I know that I keep money in my house. The amounts of money I gave Mr. Wade, it was never that serious. I don't think I've ever handed him more than $2,500 in a reimbursement.
So we're not talking about $20,000 in cash. I don't have $20,000 in cash right now. Most I ever gave him -- I know I gave him $2,500 when we went to Belize because we went to one hotel and then we went to a second hotel. That $2,500, I actually gave him while we were still in Belize.
I know that the Aruba trip, the one that you described with his mom, I think I gave him about $2,000 for that trip for like total.
MERCHANT: His mom went to Aruba with you?
WILLIS: The Aruba trip. So I consider that to be one trip.
MERCHANT: OK.
WILLIS: So we got off of a cruise ship and then we went to Aruba, which is why I cannot remember is that the time that we had to stay in Miami to wait for the flight for Aruba.
[15:35:10]
MERCHANT: So I consider that one trip. We didn't like come back to Atlanta and leave. We went -- we flew down to Miami, we got on a cruise ship. We spent a couple of days with his mama. We came back to Miami. When we came back to Miami, either that day or the next day, we flew to Aruba.
We spent a few days in Aruba and we came back. That was really one trip. Even though we went two places, it was one trip.
MERCHANT: So let's talk about the California trip. Is that when you were moving your daughter out to California when you all went -- or did you have two trips to California?
WILLIS: My daughter doesn't live in California.
MERCHANT: Did she ever live in California?
WILLIS: I'm not discussing to you the location of my child.
MERCHANT: So, how many times did you go with Mr. Wade to California?
WILLIS: Once.
MERCHANT: And you all stayed in Napa Valley and he paid for the plane tickets in the hotel?
WILLIS: He paid for the plane tickets and the hotel.
MERCHANT: And what did you pay for on that trip?
WILLIS: I gave him much less cash that time, probably $400 or $500. And then I paid for a bunch of stuff. I think we did two different wine tours that you do, which are pretty expensive. I think I bought him -- he likes wine. I don't really like wine, to be honest with you. I like Grey Goose.
I bought him a bottle of wine while we were there and the sippings that you do. I can't remember how -- like four or five different places you go. I remember we went to this place that they do pairings. That was the most expensive thing that I think that we did while we were there.
So they would pair -- they would pair champagne, chocolate and -- champagne, chocolate, and caviar. It was at three -- and it was like three different things. Sweden, Russia, someplace else, I'll make that up. But that was the most expensive thing we did that trip. And I paid for -- I paid for that.
MERCHANT: Did you pay cash? WILLIS: For us doing that?
MERCHANT: Mm-hmm.
WILLIS: Yes. I think I -- but that trip did not cost me a lot of money. I might've took like $750 in cash on me because we weren't gone very long.
MERCHANT: I'm just --
WILLIS: And then I --
MERCHANT: I'd only ask if you paid in cash. I don't even know the amount.
WILLIS: When I travel, I always take cash.
MERCHANT: And it's the cash that you keep in your house or do you keep it at the condo that you were living in?
WILLIS: So at that point, it wouldn't be at my house and I'm sorry if I was not clear. The money would be wherever I laid my head. So I wouldn't leave the money at the house. So if I was unclear, no, money's going to be where I stay.
MERCHANT: How much did you pay for your trip to Panama?
WILLIS: To where?
MERCHANT: Panama, I believe.
WILLIS: I didn't go to Panama.
MERCHANT: I may have the location wrong.
WILLIS: I never went to Panama.
MERCHANT: After--
WILLIS: Wade went to Panama with his frat brother.
MERCHANT: Oh, he went to Panama with his frat brother. So tell me about, let's see. So I want to make sure I've got him. I've got Belize. You already covered Belize. You covered the --
WILLIS: So let me tell you our real trips. In October, we went with -- we went on the cruise with his mom. We got back from the cruise with his mom and we went to Aruba. I consider that one trip.
Second trip, New Year's Eve. We went on the cruise to the Bahamas. That's the second trip.
I'm going to make sure I get this right. Third trip, 100 percent on me, I think he might have spent $200 on that entire trip. We went to Belize. That was my trip. That was, you know, his 50th.
And then Napa Valley, we went around May. I don't know the dates, but it seems to me like it was close to Mother's Day.
MERCHANT: And those are the only trips?
WILLIS: So that the record is complete. I can remember one time driving to -- where were we? South Carolina and we met my sister for lunch with her man.
MERCHANT: When was that?
WILLIS: We didn't stay the -- I don't know, but we didn't stay the night there. But I guess people would consider that a trip if you drive somewhere and you come back. That was insane because it was like five hours to drive. We ate lunch and we drove right back.
I can remember driving to some little town in Georgia. I don't even know where I was. I had never been there before or after. There's some boats you can get on over to and there's like a slave thing. If that gives anyone any reference, we didn't do that.
I remember doing that. I remember driving one time to Charlotte. We had lunch with one of my very close girlfriends. And again, we drove to Charlotte, met my girlfriend for lunch and drove right back. So that's a trip.
We didn't stay the night there, but I just want to be complete in my testimony. We drove someplace, had lunch, drove back.
I don't remember another driving someplace distant for lunch and coming back to Charlotte to see a girlfriend, to meet my sister in South Carolina. We went by ourselves when I told you about that remote place in Georgia.
[15:40:05]
We could have driven someplace else and had lunch and came back, but that's all that comes my recollection right now. There could have been another place we drove in had lunch.
My security team was very clear to me. I'm not to be out and about in Atlanta without them. And so for me to do something just very normal that a normal person would get to do, they weren't prosecuting this case, I got a drive four hours to do it.
MERCHANT: And that's what I was going to ask you, your security detail. Did they take you to and from your house?
WILLIS: They take -- well, so I haven't been able to enjoy my home.
MERCHANT: Condo, I'm sorry.
WILLIS: In March --
MERCHANT: Where you lay your head, did they take you to and from where you lay your head?
WILLIS: Ninety-nine percent of the time. MERCHANT: Would they take Mr. Wade to and from wherever you laid your head?
WILLIS: That is never in the history of ever happened, ever, OK?
MERCHANT: Your security team has never taken him?
WILLIS: From my house? That's a lie. That's another --
MERCHANT: If they've ever taken him anywhere.
WILLIS: And I'm telling you that that's never happened.
MERCHANT: So your security team has never taken him away then?
WILLIS: My security team has never taken Mr. Wade from any place where I have lived and brought him here. Never. Not once. Not ever.
MERCHANT: Have they ever taken the two of you together?
WILLIS: To where?
MERCHANT: Anywhere.
WILLIS: We've left this building and for -- gone to lunch, but I go to lunch so rarely that that is a very rare occasion. I am sure.
And let me be clear. It wouldn't just be Mr. Wade. So I'm sure my security team has taken me to lunch. Probably been a time I've left here. Seven o'clock, going to get something to eat. And I don't even know that they would have taken him or if he would have driven himself. But they've taken me to do that. But we're talking very few, very far in between.
Most days I don't even eat lunch. And what I do is because my assistant has heated up some bags, something that I eat through meetings and eat in my office. It's not a practice of mine to go to lunch.
MERCHANT: During the time period that you were dating, would your security team ever take you two together anymore?
WILLIS: No.
MERCHANT: Never?
MERCHANT: If there was a lunch that occurred that I just described, if there was a meal that occurred that I just described, anything outside of that, and it needs to be very clear. Not often. Once, twice. Because I want to be over inclusive. I'm saying once or twice. I'm not certain that it happened, but I'd rather be over inclusive with you.
MERCHANT: So your office objected to us getting Delta records for flights that you may have taken with Mr. Wade.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) WILLIS: Well, no, no, no. Look, I object to you getting records. 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.
MERCHANT: So my question was, you have any prior --
WILLIS: I object to getting any personal records of mine.
MCAFEE: We're not dealing with privilege through a witness.
MERCHANT: And I'm not -- no, no. I'm not dealing with privilege. What we had offered to put them in camera for the court to review, and I just want to know if she has any problem.
MCAFEE: That's not something to deal with the witness.
MERCHANT: OK. You have to file as part of your job something called an income and financial disclosure report, correct?
WILLIS: That's correct.
MERCHANT: And you filed your first one. So you filed two today? Is that right?
WILLIS: Is it two or three? I probably would have filed '21, '22. And maybe I haven't filed '23 yet because isn't it due like June of the next year?
MERCHANT: April, I believe. So you filed -- let's see. You filed your first one. It looks like April 15th, 2022. And your second one, April 17th, 2023. Does that sound familiar?
WILLIS: I don't remember the dates, but you're an officer of the court. I'm going to hope you're telling the truth now.
MERCHANT: May I -- may I approach the witness?
MCAFEE: You're okay.
MERCHANT: Thank you. I already gave the state a copy Exhibit 20 and 21. (INAUDIBLE)
WILLIS: Can somebody bring me some -- yeah. That's a getting a little old. Yes.
MERCHANT: OK.
WILLIS: Yes, ma'am.
MERCHANT: Those are the ones that you filed?
WILLIS: This looks like me for sure. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am.
MERCHANT: Judge, we'd move to admit 20 and 21. MCAFEE: I think you need to delineate which ones.
WILLIS: Twenty is 2021. So it accounts for the time period, Your Honor, January the 1st, '21 through December the 31st, 2021. That is defendants Exhibit 20.
Defendants Exhibit 2021. It accounts for the time period. January the 1st, 2022 through December the 1st of 2022.
MCAFEE: All right. Any objection to Exhibits 20 and 21?
WILLIS: Nope. Sorry.
MCAFEE: From other council. And we're going to without objection.
MERCHANT: Yes. When did your relationship -- your personal relationship with Mr. Wade end?
WILLIS: Our personal relationship ended in this year.
[15:45:04]
So let's be -- let's be very clear so that we don't mix words. I don't want to mix words in here. Mr. Wade is my friend right now. Mr. Wade, I would say has been my friend since 2020. I think he started out as like a mentor and a professional colleague.
He became my friend and somebody that I really respected. I feel very indebted to Mr. Wade for taking on the task of this job. And he is certainly my friend and one of the people that I respect the most.
So if you ask about a personal relationship, I consider myself to have a personal relationship right now with Mr. Wade. I consider myself to have a personal relationship with Anna Cross (PH). I consider myself to have a personal relationship with Mr. Abadi (PH). I consider myself to have a personal relationship with Andrew Evans.
MERCHANT: OK. Let me just clarify that --
WILLIS: And so I have a personal relationship with him as we speak right now.
MERCHANT: A romantic --
WILLIS: I don't think that's what you're asking. I think that's what you're asking.
MERCHANT: Romantic relationship. When did your romantic relationship with Mr. Wade end? Evident.
WILLIS: Me and Mr. Wade, we are good friends. My respect for him has grown over these seven weeks of attacks. We are very good friends. I think -- but for these attacks it would have been a friendship that as life goes you would have stopped having. I think that you have seen minute that we'll be friends to the day we die.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your Honor --
MCAFEE: Let's --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- can we just have an answer to the question?
MCAFEE: Let me handle this (INAUDIBLE). Let's have a --
WILLIS: She asked about a personal relationship.
MCAFEE: She asked when the romantic relationship ended. That's the question.
WILLIS: Sometime in -- I'd say late summer of 2023. But I don't believe me in what you're really asking about. This is the salaciousness of all of this, right?
MERCHANT: No. I'm just asking about your romantic relationship. When you stop dating.
WILLIS: I think that me and Mr. Wade -- so he's a man. He probably would say June or July. I would say we had a tough conversation in August.
So that many in relationships at the end of physical intimacy. Women in relationships when that tough conversation takes place.
MERCHANT: And where -- when -- did he come to, I guess, the condo, I'm not sure what you call the condo apartment. Would he come and stay at that condo or visit you there? I'm sorry visit you there.
WILLIS: What condo? What apartment? I want to be clear.
MERCHANT: So not your house. I know you classified one as house and one as condo. So I'm trying to use those terms.
WILLIS: But there's been more than -- see what you don't understand is because of this case I got to move. And so I think --
MCAFEE: Ms. Merchant, if you could ask a more precise question.
MERCHANT: Yes.
WILLIS: Please give me the time period.
MERCHANT: Mr. Wade visits you at the place you laid your head.
WILLIS: When?
MERCHANT: Has he ever visited you at the place you laid your head?
WILLIS: So let's be clear because you lied in this. Let me tell you which one you lied in right here. I think you're lying right here.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no (INAUDIBLE)
WILLIS: No, no, no. This is the truth. MERCHANT: Judge --
WILLIS: It is a lie. It is a lie.
MCAFEE: All right. Ms. Willis. Mr. (INAUDIBLE), thank you. We're going to take five minutes.
WILLIS: Thanks.
MCAFEE: Be back in five.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: Fireworks in court as we've listened to district attorney Fani Willis testifying regarding the details of her relationship with one of her lead prosecutors, Nathan Wade.
The defense there asking her questions about when their relationship started, when their relationship ended. Fani Willis, at different points, becoming what the judge referred to as an adverse witness delving into different aspects of even her own family history trying to answer questions about why she reimbursed him with cash. Why it was that she moved out of her home at one point.
This is getting deep into personal territory for the district attorney in a way that I bet she didn't anticipate when these charges were filed against former president Trump and his more than a dozen co- defendants.
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: No. And I think probably the sound and I'm just going to paraphrase it --
SANCHEZ: Yes.
KEILAR: -- what she said was -- that is really going to make headlines today is when she said I am not on trial. These people are on trial for stealing an election in 2020. I'm not on trial as much as you try to make that so.
And you saw her holding up the three filings that came from the attorney of one of these code defendants that were filed about her and Nathan Wade and she said, this is a lie.
So when she asked for those three to be printed out at the beginning, you see in a way what she was doing there. That was a bit of a prop because I think what we're really seeing here is that so much of her appearance. Yes, it is about this case and it is about the allegations that have been made about her and about Nathan Wade as she is prosecuting this RICO case involving former president Trump and 18 co- defendants.
[15:50:08]
But a lot of this is about the fact that America is watching and her reputation is on the line. Her credibility is on the line about whether she and Nathan Wade have been honest about whether she benefited from their relationship, whether there was a potential conflict of interest, whether she is being credible as they talk about the reimbursements here. And even the start date of their romantic relationship.
Let's go now to Laura Coates. She is there outside of the courthouse fireworks here as we hear her answering these questions quite extensively and really making her opinion known there in court, Laura.
LAURA COATES, CNN CHIEF LEGAL ANALYST: This is explosive. Fani Willis is defiant. She is confrontational. And, frankly, she is persuasive this afternoon.
This entirety of the proceedings, it was very clear that she was gunning to come in and testify. She is angry at the person who has brought these allegations against her. She is insulted by the notion that she is somehow sexually promiscuous. She is very irritated and leaving the fact that she herself feels as though she is being called to task and on trial.
Here is the fundamental flaw of the allegations against her. There is no through line yet that has been established between her financial resources, Nathan Wade's financial resources, and how she may or may not have financially benefited.
It is as if they are presuming that she started with a zero balance in her account. And only that which came in through this particular indictment is what she has to sustain her life and Nathan Wade.
Why is that important? Because they're trying to suggest that she has financially benefited from hiring Nathan Wade and maybe even sustaining the indictment itself.
Well, she has gone to clear strengths and clear lengths, excuse me, as did Nathan Wade to suggest that there are multiple sources of income. She talks about her private practice in the background, the source of cash in her home and beyond, as a way and a means of actually providing for herself.
She was very defiant and saying, he never took me anywhere. It had a real feel, frankly, of Diana Ross and Mahogany, if you ask me about the idea of she's been plenty of places. Has she not?
She talked about Nathan Wade and his own resources and beyond. But I want to just stress to everyone. Do you know how fundamentally dangerous it is for a prosecutor to tell and expose her personal life? Just think of the people that she is confronting, that she is prosecuting.
I remember being nine months pregnant when someone saying to me, congratulations, and me saying, I'm not pregnant. That's how private you want to keep your life, because every single iota, every morsel you convey to the world can be used against you.
You could be sitting there in front of a jury, in front of a defendant, and now your personal life is on display. How do you think that will be used against you? How can your family now be vulnerable? She's talking about where she keeps her money in her home. Gee, there is a security detail. This is extraordinarily dangerous. It tells you the very high stakes of where she is in this moment, that she is here in this moment.
And let's just be very clear. She's not pulling any pensions. And I tell you, I really don't think that this judge was intending to even force her to testify today. It is very clear that she wanted to testify. She believes she's being lied about. This is all undermining, she believes her credibility.
And look, as Nick Valencia said multiple times about the day today, and we all have, we are not talking about the underlying charges against the former president of the United States and 17 other code defendants, several of whom have already pled guilty.
SANCHEZ: Yes. We have the exact quote that Brianna mentioned as we await for the proceedings to pick up again to the point that Laura was just making. Fani Willis trying to bring the focus back to the actual content of the case itself, objecting to a comment made by one of the defense attorneys about getting personal records, saying that that attorney has been intrusive in a people's personal lives.
Actually, I think Judge Scott McAfee is making some comments. Let's listen in.
MCAFEE: -- of a courtroom. We all know what professionalism looks like, what decorum looks like, and devoting ourselves to the rule of law and proper advocacy. I would urge everyone to keep those principles into mind, starting with the fact that we won't talk over each other.
And from there, we'll get through this. Ms. Merchant.
MERCHANT: Thank you, Judge. How often did Mr. Wade visit you at a place where you were living between 2019 and 2021?
[15:55:06]
WILLIS: So you want to start with the lie that he lived with me in South Fulton in 2019, the home he's never been to? That's one lie you told in your document. No.
MERCHANT: Judge, I didn't ask her about that.
MCAFEE: Ms. Merchant, I want you to ask a very precise question. I think she's saying and answering that he did not live with her. So why don't we break that up into smaller parts?
MERCHANT: And I didn't ask about living.
WILLIS: What you put in your -- while we're talking about professionalism. No, while we're talking about professionalism, she put in three different documents he lived with me.
MCAFEE: Oh, so you'll have more opportunity to respond. MERCHANT: In 2000 --
WILLIS: And filed that with the court. Professionalism.
MERCHANT: In 2019.
WILLIS: He's never been to South Fulton. In 2019, I lived in South Fulton. He has never been to my residence in 2019, ever, not once. 2020 --
MERCHANT: In 2019, he's never been to your residence at any place?
WILLIS: I lived in my home in South Fulton before I started getting the threats that we're here. A house I paid for with my own sweat and tears. I'm no longer able to live there. But in 2019, I did. And in the two months of 2019, that I knew Mr. Wade three months, the beginning of October, all of November, and all of December, Mr. Wade never came to my house in South Fulton.
Let me help you out. I lived there in 2020. He never came to my house in 2020. Let alone live with me as you put falsely in these documents.
In the first three months of 2021, when I could still enjoy my home, Mr. Wade never came to South Fulton, and it is certainly a lie that he lived with me.
MERCHANT: So in 2020, let's -- so you said 2019. 2020. Did Mr. Wade ever visit you at a place that you were --
WILLIS: He has never been to my home in South Fulton. 2020 was before I knew that a phone call was going to be made, and I was going to have to abandon my home. As a result thereof, he never visited, lived that, came to or has seen South Fulton.
MERCHANT: You qualified that with your home in South Fulton.
WILLIS: That's where I lived in 2020.
MERCHANT: 2020, did he ever visit you at a place that you resided to?
WILLIS: OK. I don't understand you want to give me guys. In 2020 --
MCAFEE: So she's --
WILLIS: I lived in South Fulton.
MCAFEE: OK.
WILLIS: That's the only place I lived in South Fulton. That's before I had to abandon my home, Judge.
MCAFEE: All right.
WILLIS: And at my home in South Fulton --
MCAFEE: well, we're going to clarify this. WILLIS: This -- I never -- he never came there, OK? So if you don't come someplace, you can't live there.
MCAFEE: Ms. Willis, that's -- I'm going to have to caution you. That's going to be my first time I have to caution you. We have to listen to the questions as I ask. And if this happens again and again, I'm going to have no choice but to strike your testimony.
So I need to break this down. Ms. Merchant's question, I believe, is asking whether you lived anywhere other than South Fulton.
WILLIS: I did not live anywhere but South Fulton, Georgia in 2020. That was before I began my prosecution of this case. And I -- it was my plan to only live there.
MERCHANT: Did Mr. Wade ever visit you at the condo that you leased from this year being?
WILLIS: He visited that condo, yes.
MERCHANT: He did?
WILLIS: Yes.
MERCHANT: Did he ever spend the night at that condo?
WILLIS: No.
MERCHANT: Just visited?
WILLIS: Yeah, but he did visit for sure.
MERCHANT: Did you ever go out to eat together other than the lunches you talked about --
WILLIS: In 2020 --
MERCHANT: -- during 2019 or 2020?
WILLIS: I would think that we probably went to lunch but it wouldn't have been -- let me think, 2019. I'm going to say, I don't know. I'm going to say we probably broke bread someplace in 2019. I don't remember it but it seemed like we would have broke bread sometime in 2019.
So I'm going to say yes, although I have no recollection. But it seems to me I got -- I go out to eat and drink with pretty much everyone. So I'm going to say yes.
MERCHANT: Outside of the vacations that we've already talked about, did you ever go out to dinner with Mr. Wade?
WILLIS: I mentioned to you that I will --
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to object at what time period? Like we're asking very big questions. I thought we were treating the witness as hostile under 611. We're no longer doing that. So we're going to go back and forth. We need to be more specific with our questions and we're going to treat her as hostile.
MCAFEE: All right. Ms. Merchant, it's not so much. I think you can elect between leading and opening the questions, but I think we are still wondering about. And I think we need to get back on track of focusing on the financial benefit or the relationship.
MERCHANT: And my next question about if you did go out to dinner, who paid when you went out to dinner?
WILLIS: He paid, I paid.
MERCHANT: You both paid?
WILLIS: OK. So let me be real clear. We didn't say, oh, the bill is $102. You give $51, I'll give $51. I don't operate like that with my girlfriends. I don't operate like that with anyone. You call out the bill, I call out the bill. Whomever.
