Video: Willis' father says he feared for his daughter's safety after receiving so many death threats
The father of Fani Willis, the top prosecutor in the Georgia election case against Donald Trump, was called to testify at Friday's hearing.
As the judge considers whether to remove Willis for misconduct, he was asked about Willis' relationship with the special prosecutor on the case.
John Floyd said his daughter dated a disc jockey from 2019 to 2020 and was not in a relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
He also said he had to leave his home in 2021 after receiving threats.
Mike Roman, one of Trump's many co-defendants in the case, argued that Willis benefited financially from his relationship with Wade.
Over the course of two days, the judge in the case will examine how Willis spent her 50th birthday and how she received the check to determine the veracity of these allegations and whether they constituted misconduct. We interviewed them in detail about their relationship, including whether they used it.
Judge Scott McAfee said any evidence supporting Roman's claims could disqualify Willis from the case.
If she is fired, proceedings against Trump could be delayed for several months because a new team would need to take over the prosecution, possibly in November when Trump is expected to become the Republican nominee. It may be delayed until after the presidential election.
Mr. Floyd testified Friday morning after his daughter, Fulton County's first female district attorney, took the stand for much of Thursday, giving heated and sometimes confrontational testimony.
He told a Fulton County courtroom that he sees his disc jockey boyfriend “sometimes every day.”
He laughed as he recalled cleaning up after his boyfriend, who had said he was leaving music “gear” around his daughter's house.
Floyd said he lived with Willis at their south Fulton County home from 2019 to December 2022.
He told his lawyers that he did not meet Mr. Wade, who allegedly had an affair with Mr. Willis, until 2023.
“I found out because other people found out,” he said.
The evidence contradicted testimony Thursday from Willis' former friend and employee Robin Bryant Yearty, who said they began dating before the Trump incident.
Mr Ierty told the court he had seen the pair hugging and kissing years ago and had “no doubt” their relationship began in 2019.
The timeline is important to ascertain how much the relationship influenced the incident.
After a multi-year investigation, Willis indicted Trump and 18 co-defendants in August 2023 on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia.
She hired Wade as special prosecutor on the case in November 2021, and he became the county's top prosecutor the same year.
Lawyers allege that Wade paid for lavish vacations to places like Aruba and Belize.
Willis and Wade acknowledged their relationship in early February, but denied any conflict of interest or financial wrongdoing.
Willis said she repaid Wade for the expenses with cash she kept at her home.
image source, Getty Images
His father, John Floyd, the district attorney who led the Georgia case against Trump, says he won't meet Nathan Wade until 2023.
Floyd told the court he also kept cash in his home, adding that it was a normal practice in the black community.
Lawyers seeking Mr. Willis' disbarment repeatedly questioned what happened when he lived in the home.
Mr. Roman's attorney, Ashley Merchant, asked whether Mr. Roman was in Georgia in 2019 and 2020 “every day of those years.”
Floyd said yes, recalling the “many death threats” and harassment Willis received shortly after he took office as district attorney in January 2021.
He said police were called to his home in February of that year to disperse a group of protesters who were shouting the “b-word” and “n-word.”
“I was worried about her safety,” he said.
As a security measure, after Willis moved out, Floyd said, “they put a police car permanently in front of her house” and brought in a police dog to “cruise the house looking for bombs.”
Willis declined to take the stand again Friday.
Experts are divided on whether her dramatic appearance Thursday, punctuated by forceful statements such as “It's a lie, it's a lie,” will help Ms. Willis' case.
