A judge indicated the man billed as the star witness in the attempt by former President Trump and his co-defendants to disqualify Georgia prosecutors must retake the stand, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Defense attorneys have asserted that Terrence Bradley, an ex-law partner and divorce attorney for special prosecutor Nathan Wade, has knowledge contradicting Wade’s claims he only began a romantic relationship with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) after being hired.
But when Bradley took the stand at a recent hearing, he invoked attorney-client privilege, citing his prior representation of Wade in his divorce.
On Monday, Judge Scott McAfee met privately with Bradley to determine whether the communications were privileged.
The judge later in the day notified defense attorneys by email that the communications were not privileged and Bradley will retake the stand at a hearing as soon as Tuesday, according to the source.
The development was first reported by MSNBC’s Katie Phang.
The order for Bradley to return to the stand marks a major development in Trump’s push to disqualify Willis and toss the election racketeering charges — one of four criminal indictments Trump faces. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The Hill has reached out to the district attorney’s office and Bradley’s attorney for comment.
The romance revelation has created a weeks-long detour in the Georgia case as defense attorneys contend it amounts to a conflict of interest, claiming Willis was financially benefiting from vacations she went on with Wade.
Prosecutors acknowledge the relationship but deny any conflict. Both Wade and Willis insisted on the stand that they split their expenses roughly evenly and their romantic relationship began in 2022, after Wade’s hiring.
One of Willis’s former friends rebutted that timeline, however, testifying that the duo’s relationship actually started after they met at a conference in 2019. Defense lawyers claim that Bradley would bolster that claim and become a second person to contradict prosecutors’ claims under oath.
At the same recent hearing, Bradley did acknowledge texting and calling a defense attorney as she was preparing the motion that originally brought the prosecutors’ romance to light.
Before the judge makes his decision on whether to disqualify Willis, he has scheduled closing arguments for Friday afternoon.
The judge is also grappling with defense lawyers’ attempt to introduce cellphone data into evidence that suggests Wade visited the district attorney’s condo dozens of times prior to his hiring.
Prosecutors mounted a fiery objection, saying the records do not prove “in any way” that the duo were together during the times listed.
“[A]nd, in fact, on multiple relevant dates and times, evidence clearly demonstrates that District Attorney Willis was elsewhere, including at work at the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office AND VISTING [sic] THE THREE CRIME SCENES WHERE A MASS MURDER MOTIVATED BY RACE AND GENDER BIAS HAD TAKEN PLACE,” they continued.
Ella Lee contributed.
