Revealed: Witness's Mysterious Involvement in Attorney's Move to Disqualify Willis from Trump Case
Discover the secretive texts exposing the witness's involvement in the defense attorney's efforts to disqualify Willis from the Trump case. Uncover the hidden role played by this shadowy figure in the legal drama.
A key witness in the effort to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election case against Donald Trump had a more extensive involvement than previously known. According to hundreds of text messages obtained by CNN, the 413 texts between Terrence Bradley and Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for one of Trump’s co-defendants, reveal months of communication between the two. This highlights the degree to which Bradley aided Merchant in gathering evidence to support claims of an improper romantic relationship between Willis and her top prosecutor, Nathan Wade.
Bradley testified for over two hours on Tuesday regarding the romantic relationship between Willis and Wade, his former law partner and client. The text messages have brought into question Bradley's credibility and the extent to which Merchant relied on his unverified claims. These messages have also provided new insights into his testimony, which fell short of the defense attorneys' expectations, who had portrayed Bradley as the key witness in their attempt to disqualify Willis.
Wade and Willis have acknowledged their romantic involvement, with both stating that their relationship began after Willis appointed Wade as lead prosecutor in the Trump case. However, Merchant has accused them of having a conflict of interest and presenting false information about the timeline of their relationship.
Merchant has alleged that Willis financially gained from the relationship, citing financial records from Wade's divorce proceedings that show he took her on extravagant trips after she hired him as special prosecutor. In response, Willis has refuted any claims of impropriety in their relationship.
However, potentially conflicting information about when exactly the romance started remains a central issue that could still derail Willis’s prosecution against Trump.
Terrence Bradley, special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s former law partner and onetime divorce attorney, testifies in court Tuesday, February 27.
Terrence Bradley, special prosecutor Nathan Wade’s former law partner and onetime divorce attorney, testifies in court Tuesday, February 27.
Brynn Anderson/Pool/AP
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Bradley was expected to address that issue, as Merchant had claimed he would dispute the statements made by Willis and Wade when he testified. However, Bradley stated that he was unable to recall specific details and admitted to speculating with Merchant via text message when he affirmed that the relationship began before Wade's appointment.
This statement from Bradley sparked numerous contentious interactions with defense lawyers, including Trump's chief attorney Steve Sadow.
“Why would you speculate when she was asking you a direct question about when the relationship started?” Sadow pushed.
“I have no answer for that,” Bradley responded.
“Except for the fact that you do in fact, know when it started and you don’t want to testify to that in court,” Sadow shot back. “That’s the best explanation.”
This text message shows Terrence Bradley communicating with Ashleigh Merchant in January 2024.
This text message shows Terrence Bradley communicating with Ashleigh Merchant in January 2024.
Obtained by CNN
Bradley’s prior text messages with Merchant reveal a different tone compared to his testimony on Tuesday. During the questioning, Bradley struggled to recall details and appeared uneasy.
In the additional text messages, Bradley refers to Merchant as his “friend” and provides unsolicited advice. Conversely, he also criticizes Willis and Wade, his former law partner.
Bradley departed from their law firm in 2022 following accusations of sexual assault by an employee. Despite denying the allegations during a hearing regarding Willis's potential disqualification, Bradley chose to leave the firm.
In various text exchanges over several months, Bradley frequently made derogatory remarks about Wade and Willis. For example, in a text to Merchant in January, Bradley referred to them as "arrogant as f".
Bradley expressed a desire not to be named as the initial source of the information and indicated that he didn’t want to be directly connected to the allegations.
Merchant reassured Bradley about the draft of her motion to disqualify, stating, “I protected you completely. Not that you need protection, but I kept you out of it,” in a text message.
“I really appreciate you keeping me out of,” Bradley replied.
This text message shows Terrence Bradley communicating with Ashleigh Merchant in January 2024.
This text message shows Terrence Bradley communicating with Ashleigh Merchant in January 2024.
Obtained by CNN
Bradley, despite his preference for staying out of the spotlight, shared with Merchant a list of individuals whom he thought had direct knowledge of when the romantic relationship between Willis and Wade started.
On January 7, 2024, Bradley texted Merchant, instructing him to subpoena all the individuals on the list, which consisted of other prosecutors in the DA’s office, members of Willis’ security team, and other individuals in her inner circle.
Bradley and Merchant once considered subpoenaing Willis’s children to verify the romantic relationship between Willis and Wade. However, Merchant was unable to obtain testimony regarding the timing of the relationship's start from most of the witnesses she consulted with Bradley and later subpoenaed.
Merchant's previous assurances seemed to have been contradicted, leading her to call Bradley to the stand herself.
It will be Judge Scott McAfee's decision on how much importance to give to the recently submitted text messages compared to Bradley's testimony in court on Tuesday, according to CNN legal analyst and former US attorney Michael Moore.
Moore expressed his belief that the judge could consider the texts when determining whether to disqualify Willis from the case.
Editor's P/S:
The article exposes a tangled web of communications and questionable motives in the ongoing effort to disqualify District Attorney Fani Willis from the Georgia election case against Donald Trump. The revelation of hundreds of text messages between Terrence Bradley, a key witness for the defense, and Ashleigh Merchant, an attorney for one of Trump's co-defendants, casts doubt on Bradley's credibility and the extent to which Merchant relied on his unverified claims.
The text messages reveal a pattern of Bradley providing unsolicited advice, making derogatory remarks about Willis and her top prosecutor, and even sharing a list of individuals to subpoena in support of the disqualification motion. This raises concerns about the motivations behind Bradley's involvement and the accuracy of his testimony. It will be up to Judge Scott McAfee to determine the significance of these text messages and their impact on the case, highlighting the importance of thorough due diligence and the integrity of witnesses in legal proceedings.
