Fani Willis won’t testify again in hearing on misconduct claims in Trump case

The Fulton county district attorney Fani Willis did not testify for a second time at a hearing on Friday examining whether her romantic relationship with one of her deputies on the Georgia election interference case against Donald Trump meant she should be disqualified from bringing the case.

The district attorney’s office told the judge it would not recall Willis to the stand after she testified for several hours the previous day, vehemently hitting back at the notion her relationship amounted to an irreparable conflict of interest.

And the district attorney’s office also had no further questions for Robin Yeartie, a former employee in the office who had been put forward by the defendants in the Trump case as a witness because her testimony contradicted Willis’ claims.

The move not to recall Yeartie suggested the district attorney’s office saw her testimony as unpersuasive. Yeartie had testified that Willis started her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade before he was hired on the Trump case, but also affirmed she had been ousted over performance.

The eventual outcome of the hearing – expected to take all day Friday and continue potentially next Tuesday for arguments over what legal standards should be applied for disqualification – could have far-reaching implications for the viability of one of the most perilous criminal cases against the former president.

Michael Roman, one of Trump’s co-defendants in the sprawling racketeering case, is seeking to have Willis and Wade disqualified as a result of their romantic relationship.

If Roman is successful in having Willis relieved from bringing the case, it would result in the disqualification of the entire district attorney’s office, throwing into disarray a