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Georgia judge to hear second day of evidence against DA Fani Willis after fiery testimony

Georgia judge to hear second day of evidence against DA Fani Willis after fiery testimony

A hearing to hash out evidence in allegations that Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis had an “improper” affair with a colleague prosecuting the case against former President Donald Trump will move into the second day of witness testimony on Friday.  On Thursday, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee presided over a marathon, and at some points contentious, day of testimony in which lawyers for defendants in the case grilled witnesses in an attempt to show that Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade were romantically involved when Willis hired him, and that she financially benefitted from the relationship.  The courtroom hit a boiling point Thursday afternoon when Willis herself took the witness stand, after several attempts to avoid it, and was so combative that the judge had to step in multiple times to cool tensions. Willis is expected to take the stand again Friday morning at 9:00 a.m.  EMBATTLED DA FANI WILLIS FACES 4TH ACCUSATION TO DISQUALIFY HER FROM THE TRUMP CASE On Thursday, Willis’ former friend and colleague at the district attorney’s office Robin Yeartie dropped a bombshell when testified that she had “no doubt” Willis and Wade had a “romantic” relationship starting in 2019, contradicting Willis’ prior statements to the court that their relationship began in 2022. Wade was hired in 2021.  Nathan Wade, who took to the witness stand for hours on Thursday, revealed that he was battling cancer in 2020 and a portion of 2021, and told the court he wasn’t dating anyone in 2021.  Defense lawyers Ashleigh Merchant, Craig Gillen, Steve Stadow, who led the bulk of the questioning Thursday are trying to prove the existence and extent of any financial benefit to Willis from Wade from their relationship, which is the crux of their argument that Willis should be disqualified.  JUDGE WARNS FANI WILLIS OVER OUTBURSTS IN HEATED TESTIMONY Much of Willis’ testimony focused on vacations she took with Wade, including Caribbean cruises and visiting wine country California.  Both testified that Wade would routinely paid for the trips and Willis would reimburse him with cash. When repeatedly pressed about whether any records existed for her withdrawals of the funds, she said she was accustomed and taught by her father to keep 6 months of regular expenses on hand in cash. Wade admitted that he did not have deposit slips or receipts to support his claims that Willis reimbursed him with cash.  Four co-defendants in the sprawling case against Trump for alleged election interference filed motions earlier this year moving for Willis and her team to be disqualified.  FANI WILLIS RAISES EYEBROWS WITH WINK ON THE STAND, LABELS FORMER LOVER NATHAN WADE A ‘SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN’ Judge McAfee said that “it’s clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.”  “The state has admitted a relationship existed. And so, what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit,” the said to table-set Thursday and Friday’s hearings. The defense team say they have two more witnesses to call up Friday. Judge McAfee indicated he would not rule from the bench after what is expected to be at least five hours of testimony. 

DA Fani Willis not testifying in second day of Georgia hearing after fiery Thursday testimony

DA Fani Willis not testifying in second day of Georgia hearing after fiery Thursday testimony

Day two of a hearing to hash out allegations that Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis had an “improper” affair with a colleague prosecuting the case against former President Trump is underway. Though Willis was expected to take the stand again Friday, the after court convened, state prosecutors said they had no questions for Willis on cross examination, and she was not called back to the stand.  On Thursday, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee presided over a marathon — and at some points, contentious — day of testimony in which lawyers for defendants in the case grilled witnesses in an attempt to show that Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade were romantically involved when Willis hired him, and that she financially benefited from the relationship.  The courtroom hit a boiling point Thursday afternoon when Willis herself took the witness stand, after several attempts to avoid it, and was so combative that the judge had to step in multiple times to cool tensions. EMBATTLED DA FANI WILLIS FACES 4TH ACCUSATION TO DISQUALIFY HER FROM THE TRUMP CASE On Thursday, Willis’ former friend and colleague at the district attorney’s office, Robin Yeartie, dropped a bombshell when she testified that she had “no doubt” Willis and Wade had a “romantic” relationship starting in 2019, contradicting Willis’ prior statements to the court that their relationship began in 2022. Wade was hired in 2021.  Wade, who took to the witness stand for hours on Thursday, revealed that he was battling cancer in 2020 and a portion of 2021, and told the court he was not dating anyone in 2021.  Defense lawyers Ashleigh Merchant, Craig Gillen and Steve Stadow, who led the bulk of the questioning Thursday, are trying to prove the existence and extent of any financial benefit to Willis from Wade from their relationship, which is the crux of their argument that Willis should be disqualified.  JUDGE WARNS FANI WILLIS OVER OUTBURSTS IN HEATED TESTIMONY Much of Willis’ testimony focused on vacations she took with Wade, including Caribbean cruises and visiting wine country California.  Both testified that Wade would routinely pay for the trips and Willis would reimburse him with cash. When repeatedly pressed about whether any records existed for her withdrawals of the funds, she said she was accustomed and taught by her father to keep six months of regular expenses on hand in cash. Wade admitted that he did not have deposit slips or receipts to support his claims that Willis reimbursed him with cash.  Four co-defendants in the sprawling case against Trump for alleged election interference filed motions earlier this year moving for Willis and her team to be disqualified.  FANI WILLIS RAISES EYEBROWS WITH WINK ON THE STAND, LABELS FORMER LOVER NATHAN WADE A ‘SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN’ Judge McAfee said that “it’s clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.”  “The state has admitted a relationship existed. And so, what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit,” McAfee said. The defense team say they have two more witnesses to call up Friday. McAfee indicated he would not rule from the bench after what is expected to be at least five hours of testimony. 

House Republican subpoenas Harvard leaders for ‘failing to produce’ sufficient docs in antisemitism probe

House Republican subpoenas Harvard leaders for ‘failing to produce’ sufficient docs in antisemitism probe

House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., issued subpoenas to multiple leaders at Harvard University for “failing to produce priority documents” related to the committee’s antisemitism investigation into the Ivy League school. She previously threatened to issue subpoenas if Harvard did not produce sufficient documents on two of four priority requests and gave the university until 5 p.m. on Feb. 14 to do so. “Last week, I made it very clear to Harvard that the documents it had produced up to that point were severely insufficient. I warned that a subpoena would be warranted if the university continued to miss the mark, giving it ample opportunity to correct course before compulsory measures were taken,” Foxx said in a news release Friday. “Unfortunately, Harvard did not heed the Committee’s warning and once again failed to satisfy the Committee’s requests.” HOUSE COMMITTEE THREATENS HARVARD SUBPOENA, ACCUSES IVY LEAGUE SCHOOL OF ‘OBSTRUCTING’ ANTISEMITISM PROBE Harvard is now required to produce 11 key areas of documentation showing what actions the university has taken, or will be taking, to ensure that Jewish students “feel safe and welcome on campus.” The subpoenas were served to Harvard Corporation Senior Fellow Penny Pritzker, Interim President Dr. Alan Garber and Harvard Management Company’s Chief Executive Officer N.P. Narvekar. “It is my hope that these subpoenas serve as a wakeup call to Harvard that Congress will not tolerate antisemitic hate in its classrooms or on campus,” Foxx said. FETTERMAN SLAMS HARVARD FOR HOSTING PALESTINIAN PROFESSOR WHO BLAMED ISRAEL FOR OCT. 7 HAMAS ATTACKS She added that she is “extremely disappointed” in Harvard’s decision to not completely follow through with what the committee has asked of them related to the investigation. While she said the university has produced 2,516 pages of documents, over 40% of them were already publicly available. “Harvard’s continued failure to satisfy the Committee’s requests is unacceptable. I will not tolerate delay and defiance of our investigation while Harvard’s Jewish students continue to endure the firestorm of antisemitism that has engulfed its campus,” she said. The decision to issue subpoenas came after multiple requests to Harvard for more information in the committee’s investigation of antisemitic incidents on campus, which began on Dec. 20, 2023. Foxx said the initial request included “an extensive list of documents” that the committee planned to ask for – specifically for Harvard’s benefit. Notices were again sent on Jan. 9 and Jan. 23 to completely fulfill the requests of the committee before the warning was issued on Feb. 7. “Given Harvard’s failure to satisfy the document requests delineated in the February 7 letter, and to avoid any further delay in its investigation, the Committee must now compel production of all responsive documents,” Foxx wrote in cover letters accompanying the subpoenas. The documents requested in the subpoenas must be produced by 5 p.m. on March 4.

Dem Sen. Bob Casey slammed by GOP for shifting immigration stances: ‘Complicit in the crisis’

Dem Sen. Bob Casey slammed by GOP for shifting immigration stances: ‘Complicit in the crisis’

Pennsylvania’s Democratic Sen. Bob Casey slammed Republicans for not supporting a controversial Senate immigration bill earlier this month prompting criticisms from Republicans, who say he pushed certain immigration fixes during election years and voted against them in off years – a characterization Casey’s office disputes.  “Now that Bob Casey is in the race of his life, he’s hoping Pennsylvanians will forget he opposed building a border wall and even supported mass amnesty and taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants,” Phillip Letsou, a spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told Fox News Digital  “Casey will say anything for power, even if that means lying to Pennsylvanians.” “Today we had the opportunity to pass the strongest border security bill in decades, and Senate Republicans walked away,” Casey said in a press release last week, accusing Republicans of playing politics on the failed Senate immigration bill.  “After insisting that border security was such an emergency that it needed to be addressed immediately, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are now brazenly admitting that this issue can wait until after the November elections. Everyone knows the reason for this insult to the American people is that Senate Republicans are genuflecting to their presidential candidate because he’d rather campaign on this crisis than fix it.” Since taking office in 2006, Casey has voted several times against border security measures during years he was not running for re-election while calling for stronger border security in years when his name was on the ballot.  CHICAGO DEMOCRATS TURN AGAINST MAYOR JOHNSON ON MIGRANT ISSUE: ‘WE ASKED FOR IT’ This year, Casey has supported drug detection at the border and introduced legislation in January “aimed at fortifying security along the southwest border.” However, Casey voted twice in opposition to drug detection at the border in 2021 and 2022. Both years, Casey was not running for re-election. Former Pennsylvania Senate candidate, Sean Parnell, who is supporting David McCormick’s campaign, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say Casey “voted against an amendment in 2021 to prevent illegals who have been charged with a crime from being granted amnesty.” When Casey was running for Senate in 2006, he campaigned against amnesty, saying it was a “big lie” for his Republican opponent Sen. Rick Santorum to say he supports it.  “Bob Casey opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants,” a Casey campaign ad said in 2006. PA SENATE CANDIDATE MCCORMICK RECOUNTS IDF VISIT, DEEMS ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR ‘TEST’ FOR AMERICAN LEADERSHIP Casey pledged to “stand up” for American workers by opposing amnesty and criticized Santorum for not being strong enough on immigration.  Years later, when he was not running for Senate in 2007 and 2013, Casey supported legislation that included a pathway to citizenship, which his critics called a de facto amnesty. Casey voted for a motion in 2007 to invoke cloture, which limits debate, on the 2007 immigration reform bill that included a pathway to citizenship and voted multiple times in June of that year to advance immigration reform. A month earlier, in May 2007, Casey voted against an amendment that would have removed a pathway to citizenship from the immigration reform act.  When the immigration compromise failed in Congress, Casey said in a press release that Congress had “buried its head in the sand.” Six years later, when a comprehensive immigration reform bill was on the table in 2013 and Casey was not up for re-election, the Pennsylvania Democrat voted for the package that included an incremental path to citizenship. Casey defended that vote by pointing to its many strong security measures, including increasing the number of border patrol agents. The Casey campaign told Fox News Digital this week that the senator “supports pairing pathways to citizenship measures with border security.” Casey supported a fence at the southern border when he ran for Senate in 2006, saying that it was necessary at “strategic” points. Securing the border was something he mentioned several times, including in May 2006, when he said, “Congress must enforce existing laws and secure the borders before putting illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship.” Two years later, when Casey was not up for re-election, Casey opposed a border fence when he voted in March 2008 against an amendment that would have added a border fence and deployed 6,400 National Guardsman to the border. DEM SEN PRAISED ‘DIVERSITY AND EQUALITY’ EFFORTS OF ISLAMIC GROUP WHOSE LEADER WAS ‘HAPPY TO SEE’ HAMAS ATTACK In July 2009, Casey was not up for re-election and voted against an amendment that would have required a border fence to be put up before the end of 2010. Casey voted two more times, in 2010 and 2013, while not up for re-election, against amendments that would have required the completion of a border fence. Casey supported penalties for companies that hired illegal immigrants while running for Senate in 2006, supporting the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act that year while touting the way the legislation would crack down against hiring illegal immigrants. Casey said that even though the bill wasn’t perfect, he supported a proposal in the bill that would have doubled fines for employers that hire illegal immigrants, add immigration hiring inspectors and implement an electronic verification system. Casey even criticized Santorum for not doing enough to punish companies that hired illegal immigrants and said he “talks a good game about [border security]” but “voted against it seven times.” Several times on the campaign trail, Casey called for stricter punishments against companies that hire illegal immigrants and argued Santorum was soft on that issue. “I support tough penalties for corporations that hire illegal immigrants. My opponent voted against tougher penalties for those corporations,” Casey said at the time. SEN. CASEY PUSHED TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR LGBTQ CENTER THAT HOSTED YOUTH DRAG SHOWS, PROMOTED COMMUNIST EVENTS During a 2006 debate with Santorum, Casey slammed the Republican for voting “against holding employers accountable” with an employer verification system. Three years later, when Casey was not on the ballot in 2009, he voted to kill amendments