Texts Show Witness Readily Helped Build a Case to Disqualify Trump Prosecutors

[ificandream]

Source: New York Times (gift article/no paywall)

By Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim
Feb. 29, 2024, 11:54 a.m. ET

Terrence Bradley, an Atlanta-area lawyer, had been billed as the star witness in the effort to disqualify Fani T. Willis, the district attorney leading the election interference case against former President Donald J. Trump in Georgia. But when Mr. Bradley took the stand this week — and twice earlier this month — he was a deeply reluctant witness.

His testimony did little to resolve a question at the heart of the defense’s attempt to show that Ms. Willis had an untenable conflict of interest: Whether the romantic relationship between Ms. Willis and Nathan Wade, the lawyer she hired to help run the Trump case, began before or after he joined her staff. But hundreds of text messages obtained by The New York Times show that Mr. Bradley, a former law partner and friend of Mr. Wade, helped a defense lawyer to expose the relationship between the two prosecutors.

The texts reveal that Mr. Bradley, who served for a time as Mr. Wade’s divorce lawyer until the two men had a bitter falling-out, assisted the effort to reveal the romance and provide details about it for at least four months — countering the impression he left on the witness stand that he had known next to nothing about the romance.

In the text exchanges, which began in September of last year and were reported late Wednesday by CNN, Mr. Bradley claimed some knowledge of when the relationship began. He even offered the defense lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, reassurance as she submitted her motion to disqualify to the court. “I am nervous,” Ms. Merchant texted to Mr. Bradley on Jan. 8, the day she filed the motion. “This is huge.” “You are huge,” Mr. Bradley encouraged her. “You will be fine.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/29/us/trump-georgia-fani-willis-texts.html?unlocked_article_code=1.ZE0.rHLb.azY7s-ecW14e&smid=url-share

[PSPS]

1. I still think it's "a Case to Disqualify Trump Prosecutors" based on "facts" irrelevant to the case.

The whole thing looks like just a smear job intended to sway a "trial by public opinion."

[ificandream]

4. Another "throwing something against the wall to stick if it sticks" tactic often used by Trump.

[TwilightZone]

2. This is so bizarre.

Is it possible that Bradley set Merchant up, or am I giving him too much credit?

The latter, I think, but this is all just odd.

[Novara]

3. I think he initially had revenge on his mind ...

... and so he texted with Merchant promising to reveal all sorts of dirt. Remember, he was accused of some sort of sexual assault or harassment or something and so he and Wade had a bitter falling-out. But the dirt he was shoveling wasn't based on fact.

And I think when the judge declared that his knowledge was not covered under attorney-client privilege and he had to testify, he realized that if he repeated the made-up dirt, he'd be in a hell of a lot of trouble because it's lies.

I'm not sure if he really couldn't recall any dates, but to protect himself he knew he couldn't repeat lies that might prove he would have committed perjury.

Merchant was visibly frustrated. She tried like hell to get him to admit the dirt he previously texted to her was real and he wasn't going to allow himself to be boxed in on the stand. And so the "gotcha" she tried so damn hard to prove amounted to nothing.

[TwilightZone]

5. Yeah, that makes sense.

As you said, he thought he could hide behind privilege but that went out the window.

He was definitely a hostile witness. My initial take was similar to yours, but I also wondered off-hand if he set her up. Self-preservation makes more sense, though.

He was always likely going to be an unreliable witness. Merchant was risking a lot counting on his testimony.

[Novara]

7. He could have set her up but I see revenge as a better motivation

Setting her up means he's on Wade's side, and I didn't get that feeling. He and Wade used to be business partners and friends. A bitter falling-out can create a lot of animus.

[karynnj]

6. I had thought he was just gossipping about a man he had a bitter split from out of jealousy

He may have been angry that his career was cratering, while his former partner was becoming a superstar. One argument, that Wade was not well qualified, is comply at odds with the quality of the case being made. At this point, some of the second tier people in the case have pled quilty to felonies.

I was guess that most of the lawyers in Fulton and the surrounding counties know or at least know of each other. Bradley may have been a friend or at least colleague of Bradley's and he might, at first, not seen where this would lead. He might have started with the view that Wade got that opportunity because of his relationship.

[PortTack]

8. His testimony fell apart on the witness stand! Water cooler gossip and hearsay

[SouthernDem4ever]

9. Was Mr Bradley guilty of breaching the attorney client privilege?

Either way, someone should hang a sign on Mr Bradley telling his clients he obviously can't be trusted.

[MichMan]

14. Should be disbarred

[Midnight Writer]

10. Funny how these stories evolve once they get people under oath, with a possible perjury penalty.

[justhanginon]

12. Yep, when you sit your butt in that witness chair and raise your right hand It becomes an "Oh Oh" moment.

[erronis]

11. trump 2.0 will need to buy several autosign machines to issue all those pardons

And to process all of the payments for those pardons.

I'm guessing at least 50% of the legal profession and 40%+ of politicians, lobbyists, school board members, state legislators, .... will need to send prepayment for their little certificate.

Good news is that the pardons also come with a free red beanie!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

13. traitortrump will need some serious speculators to buy (hoped-for) pardons...

https://trumpdebtcounter.com/