ATLANTA, GEORGIA – The Fulton County District Attorney’s office is formulating a swift legal response to counter the cellphone data presented by former President Donald Trump’s legal team. The data allegedly undermines the timeline provided by District Attorney Fani Willis regarding her relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade.
Trump’s attorneys submitted an analysis of phone and cell records belonging to Wade as part of their motion to disqualify Willis and her office from prosecuting the Trump 2020 Georgia election interference case. The records purportedly show that Wade was present at the condominium where Willis resided during specific dates in 2021. However, Willis has affirmed in court papers that their romantic relationship did not commence until early 2022, after Wade was hired for the Georgia election case.
The Fulton County DA’s lawyers are currently challenging the interpretation of the data filed by Trump’s legal team, aiming to refute its accuracy. If proven accurate, the data could be potentially damaging, suggesting that Wade and Willis misled the court about the start of their relationship.
In response to Trump’s filing, Willis filed an objection requesting that the court dismiss the data, citing lack of authentication and containing unqualified opinion evidence. She argued that the records do not prove the content of the communications between Wade and herself, nor do they confirm that they were together at the mentioned times. Willis also provided evidence demonstrating her presence elsewhere during the specified dates, including at work and visiting crime scenes.
The analysis of the data was conducted by a private investigator using a geofencing analytics tool called CellHawk. Willis’ defense lawyers are currently seeking their own expert witnesses to counter the assertions made by Trump’s legal team. They hope to file a response as soon as possible.
While it is acknowledged that Wade visited the condo on multiple occasions, both he and Willis maintain that their relationship had not progressed into a romance during that time. The source close to Willis indicated that it was not uncommon for work meetings to take place at the condo. Additionally, Wade was involved in discussions related to the Atlanta spa shooting case during one meeting.
Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee has yet to determine whether the cellphone records submitted by Trump’s legal team can be introduced as evidence. If the DA’s office presents evidence countering the data, the evidentiary hearing may be extended, delaying the closing arguments scheduled for March 1. The judge’s determination will heavily impact Willis’ position in the case.
Norman Eisen, a lawyer and former Obama administration ethics czar, criticized the reliability of cellphone data and the defense tactics used. He believes that the issue should have been addressed earlier by Willis’ lawyers. Despite this, Eisen acknowledged that judges always prioritize the honesty of those appearing before them but deemed the defense’s argument as attempting to cross into shaky territory.
The legal battle continues as both sides strive to present compelling evidence and interpretations of the data in the Trump 2020 Georgia election interference case.