Fani Willis to return to the witness stand as she fights an effort to derail Trump's election case

Allegations of misconduct have taken center stage in Donald Trump's 2020 Georgia election case, thrusting top prosecutors' private lives into the spotlight and forcing them to answer deeply personal questions in court as they try to defend against efforts to derail the high-stakes case.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is set to return to the witness stand Friday, as the case that was supposed to be about efforts to overturn Georgia's presidential election results has become embroiled in controversy over the love lives of the prosecutors seeking to hold Trump accountable.

During fiery and sometimes combative testimony Thursday, Willis was grilled by lawyers about her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, which defense attorneys allege presents a conflict of interest that should force Willis off the case.

Willis forcefully pushed back against claims of impropriety, at times getting visibly upset as lawyers questioned her about everything from her finances to trips she has taken with Wade. The judge at one point had to call a break in testimony as tempers flared. Willis accused a defense attorney of trying to smear her, raising papers in front of her and shouting, “It’s a lie!”

“Do 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 told defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant.

The probing questions for Willis and for Wade, who testified before her, underscored the extent to which the prosecutors are themselves now under a public microscope, with revelations about their personal lives diverting attention away from Trump’s own conduct. The allegations also provided an opening for