Fulton County prosecutors felt they got enough from Fani Willis' testimony Thursday to reject disqualification attempts, making further testimony unnecessary Friday, two sources familiar with their thinking told CNN.
Willis spent more than two hours on the witness stand Thursday and was expected to resume his testimony Friday. But prosecutors unexpectedly announced at the beginning of the hearing that they did not have any questions for cross-examination of Willis.
“The state has no further questions for Ms. Willis,” prosecutor Anna Cross said.
What does this mean: The decision could be strategically useful for prosecutors. By refusing to question Willis, prosecutors are now depriving defense attorneys of another opportunity to attack her a second time and ask additional questions.
It also means Willis' show on the stand won't last into the second day. Combative fights with defense attorneys and repeated rebukes from the judge created a daylong frenzy and diverted the case away from accusations of election subversion against former President Donald Trump and more than a dozen of his Republican allies.
Defense attorneys have the burden of proving an inappropriate financial relationship between Willis and his lead prosecutor, Nathan Wade, who was his former romantic partner. It is a relatively high bar under Georgia law to disqualify the prosecution team over conflict of interest issues, and the decision will ultimately be up to the judge.
