Georgia
Trump Georgia case ensnared in legal arguments during testimony about romantic relationship
By KATE BRUMBACK, ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and ERIC TUCKER
ATLANTA — Georgia prosecutors sought to knock down misconduct allegations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Friday, calling her father to the witness stand to testify about his knowledge of her romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to lead Donald Trump’s case.
On the second day of an extraordinary hearing that could result in Willis and her office being removed from the case against the former president, Willis’ father, John Clifford Floyd III, testified that he had not met special prosecutor Nathan Wade until last year and didn’t find out until weeks ago that they had been in a relationship. Defense attorneys have been trying to show that the romantic relationship existed before Willis hired Wade.
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Prosecutors also sought to bolster Willis’ testimony that Wade was not the district attorney’s first choice to lead the case against Trump. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes testified that Willis approached him in 2021 about serving as special prosecutor, but that he turned it down in part because he had “mouths to feed” at his law practice and because he was concerned about potential threats of violence that could come with the job.
The hearing, with testimony about cash stashes in homes, romantic dalliances and vacations to exotic locales, lent a soap opera feel to one of the most politically consequential prosecutions ever initiated by a county district attorney. Thousands watched a livestream of the proceedings, even during tedious lawyerly exchanges about legal theory, while some prominent local figures — including Atlanta’s current mayor — dropped in to witness the hearing in person.
Yet despite the public intrigue and the potential to undermine the integrity of the case, it was far from clear by midday Friday that defense lawyers had succeeded in presenting indisputably persuasive evidence to push Willis or Wade out of the prosecution.
Wade’s former law partner and divorce attorney, Terrence Bradley, was described by the defense as a key witness who would testify that Willis and Wade began dating before Wade was hired. There have been differing accounts about when the relationship began. Wade and Willis have said they didn’t start dating until 2022, but a former Willis friend and co-worker testified Thursday that she saw them hugging and kissing before Wade was hired in November 2021.
Bradley repeatedly refused to answer questions about Wade and Willis, citing attorney-client privilege. But he did acknowledge texting with the defense attorney who first revealed the existence of Willis and Wade’s relationship.
Prosecutors opted not to put Willis back on the witness stand on Friday, avoiding the spectacle of more deeply personal testimony from the the district attorney. On the witness stand Thursday, Willis forcefully pushed back against any suggestion that her relationship with Wade created a conflict of interest and accused a defense attorney of trying to smear her with salacious lies in an effort to discredit the case against Trump. Willis and Wade have both acknowledged they were in a relationship, but say their personal lives have no bearing on their ability to prosecute the case.
Even if the allegations don’t derail the case, they threaten to taint the public’s perception of one of four criminal proceedings facing the former president, and have provided an opening for Trump and his Republican allies to try to cast doubt on the case’s legitimacy as he vies to reclaim the White House in November.
Trump immediately jumped on the allegations in hopes of discrediting the entire case, part of a yearslong pattern of deflecting attention away from his own conduct by highlighting the personal lives and lapses in judgment — both perceived and real — of the officials investigating him. His use of the word “lover” to refer to Wade echoed his attacks years earlier on two FBI officials who had an extramarital relationship and exchanged derogatory text messages about him during the FBI’s investigation into Russian election interference.
Willis and Wade’s relationship was first revealed by Merchant, an attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, a former campaign staffer and onetime White House aide. Merchant has alleged that Willis personally profited from the case, paying Wade more than $650,000 for his work and then benefiting when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took together.
Wade testified that he and Willis took trips together, but said Willis paid him back in cash for some expenses that he had charged to his credit card. Defense attorneys have sought to cast doubt on the claim that Willis paid Wade in cash, pressing both of them on why Willis would use cash and if they had any evidence that she paid him with it.
Floyd, Willis’ father, seemed to support his daughter’s assertion that she keeps large amounts of cash at home with his testimony that he always told his daughter to have six months of cash on hand.
“It’s a Black thing,” Floyd said. “Most Black folks, they hide cash, they keep cash.”
It’s unclear when the judge might rule on whether Willis and her office should be disqualified from the case. Judge Scott McAfee said during a hearing Monday that Willis could be disqualified “if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.”
Willis’ removal would be a stunning development in the most sprawling of the criminal cases against Trump. If she were disqualified, a council that supports prosecuting attorneys in Georgia would need to find a new attorney to take over. That successor could either proceed with the charges against Trump and 14 others or drop the case altogether. Even if a new lawyer went forward with the case, it would very likely not go to trial before November, when Trump is expected to be the Republican nominee for president.
Willis and Wade’s relationship was first revealed by Merchant, an attorney for Trump co-defendant Michael Roman, a former campaign staffer and onetime White House aide. Merchant has alleged that Willis personally profited from the case, paying Wade more than $650,000 for his work and then benefiting when Wade used his earnings to pay for vacations the pair took together.
Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press writer Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami contributed to this report.
Georgia
Georgia’s Utility Regulator Rushes Deal for Georgia Power Before Public Hearing – CleanTechnica
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ATLANTA, Georgia — An hour before hearing testimony from the public and advocacy groups, the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) posted a settlement agreement approving Georgia Power’s plan to build the most expensive gas plants in the country, leaving Georgians to foot the bill.
The settlement, which the PSC is expected to vote on during its Dec. 19 meeting, approves Georgia Power’s “Requests for Proposals,” or RFP, despite clear warnings from the Sierra Club, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, and PSC’s own staff that Georgia Power’s plan hinges on a data center bubble. The utility’s proposal is expected to cost at least $15 billion in capital costs, though the total costs have yet to be publicly disclosed. The proposed settlement would dramatically increase Georgian’s energy bills for years to come for data centers that might not even be built. Several counties in Georgia have already passed moratoriums on data centers, awaiting more insight into their potential impact on local communities.
“This proposed settlement is the largest single investment in electric infrastructure in the state’s history. It calls for building the most expensive gas plants in the country and will result in higher prices for consumers and more pollution in our communities. It will cause temperatures to go up, more frequent and more powerful storms, and deadlier floods and heatwaves,” said Dekalb County resident Lisa Coronado during the Dec. 10 hearing. “But Georgia Power doesn’t care about any of that. When the temperatures go up, Georgia Power makes more money because Georgians run their air conditioning more often. When climate-change fueled storms wreck our infrastructure, Georgia Power passes repair costs onto us.”
The settlement includes promises of “downward pressure” for ratepayers’ bills, but Georgia Power’s claim that typical ratepayers will eventually see a reduction of $8.50 per month is short-sighted. First, Georgia Power has made similar promises in the past and continued to raise rates. Second, the proposed rate decrease would only cover three years, whereas ratepayers will have to pay for gas plants for 45 years.
In response, the Sierra Club released the following statement:
“The PSC’s own expert staff said Georgia building gas plants was not in the best interest of ratepayers,” said Adrien Webber, Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Director. “At a time when the PSC should be fighting for affordability for Georgians, they instead push through a plan that will continue to squeeze Georgia families already struggling to make ends meet. As we consider our next steps, it’s clear that the people of Georgia demand change from our PSC and the Sierra Club will continue to fight to make that change happen.
“‘Georgia Power’s agreement is still based on the idea that data center projects are coming, which is not guaranteed,” Webber continued. “The PSC’s own staff saw Georgia Power’s plan as overbuilding for projects that may or may not appear, threatening to leave the cost for ratepayers to pick up. It’s infuriating that Georgia Power and the PSC refuse to even take public comment or insight from advocates into consideration before coming to this agreement. Filing this agreement just an hour before the second round of hearings shows that the PSC refuses to be held accountable to the people of Georgia.”
About the Sierra Club: The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
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Joseph Beasley, a longtime Georgia human rights activist, has died, just a few weeks before what would have been his 89th birthday.
Born to sharecroppers in Fayette County, Georgia, Beasley said in interviews that a history lesson opened his eyes to the power of activism.
“When I was able to attend school in a segregated, one-room school house, I learned about the Haitian Revolution that began with the rebellion of African slaves in 1791 and ended when the French were defeated at the Battle of Vertieres in 1803,” Beasley wrote in African Leadership Magazine in 2015. “The battle effectively ended slavery there and got me energized. I remember thinking as I read about it that it was possible to have a different life.”
A veteran of the U.S. Air Force who attended graduate school at Clark Atlanta University, Beasley first joined the Jesse Jackson-founded Operation PUSH in 1976, according to nonprofit The History Makers. In 1979, he moved back to his home state of Georgia to work as the executive director of the organization’s Atlanta chapter. He continued with the organization for decades, eventually being named Southern Regional Director. At the same time, he began serving as the human service director at Atlanta’s Antioch Baptich Church North.
Beasley’s work took him across Georgia and around the world. He traveled to South Africa to register voters ahead of Nelson Mandela’s historic electoral victory in 1994 and went to Haiti to monitor the nation’s second democratic election the next year, The History Makers said.
“Joe Beasley’s legacy runs deep — from growing up on a Georgia plantation to serving 21 years in the Air Force, to becoming a powerful voice for justice through Rainbow PUSH,” Attorney Gerald Griggs wrote. “He spent his life fighting for civil rights at home and abroad. A true global servant for our people.”
Beasley also founded and led African Ascension, an organization with the goal of linking Africans on the continent with those in the diaspora.
“He devoted his life to uplifting our people, confronting injustice, and standing steadfast on the front lines of the struggle for human and civil rights not only in Georgia, but across the globe,” the Georgia NAACP wrote on Facebook. “His voice was bold, his spirit unbreakable, and his impact immeasurable.”
Beasley’s funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
Georgia Senate takes up AI use by children
Georgia lawmakers are joining states nationwide pressing for tougher laws to hold social media companies accountable for children’s safety on their platforms and when interacting with AI.
ATLANTA – Georgia lawmakers say they are drafting legislation to make social media safer for children after a Senate committee spent months hearing from community members and experts. The proposals are expected to be taken up during the upcoming legislative session.
What we know:
Georgia lawmakers are joining states nationwide in pressing for tougher laws to hold social media companies accountable for children’s safety on their platforms and when those users interact with artificial intelligence.
The Senate Impact of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence on Children and Platform Privacy Protection Study Committee spent months hearing from parents and experts about how to make the internet safer for kids.
What they’re saying:
Democratic state Sen. Sally Harrell, who co-chairs the committee, said it adopted its final report Wednesday.
She said lawmakers are working on bipartisan bills to address growing concerns about how social media, gaming, AI and other online platforms are affecting Georgia children. The proposals include legislation to prevent companies from using addictive design features in social media and games, as well as requirements for developers to test chatbots to ensure they are safe for children to interact with.
“Congress should be acting,” Harrell said. “This should be a congressional issue. It should be dealt with nationally. But Congress isn’t doing anything. They haven’t done anything to help our kids be safe online for almost 30 years. And so the states really feel like we have to take leadership on this.”
What’s next:
Lawmakers stressed that this is a bipartisan effort and encouraged the public to work with them, noting they are already receiving pushback from some of the companies that own and operate major social media platforms.
The Source: The details in this article come from the meeting of the Senate Impact of Social Media and Artificial Intelligence on Children and Platform Privacy Protection Study Committee. Democratic state Sen. Sally Harrell spoke with FOX 5’s Deidra Dukes.
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