Defense lawyer in Trump case defends bid to disqualify Fulton D.A. Willis | News

Merchant also claimed Willis failed to get the Fulton County Commission to approve a contract with Wade that has paid him $700,000 thus far and is guilty of a conflict of interest in that she benefited financially from both the contract and the relationship.

“They were sleeping together and going on trips he was paying for and not disclosing it to the taxpayers,” Merchant testified during a three-hour hearing before the Senate Special Committee on Investigations, a panel the Republican-controlled Senate formed in January to look into the conflict accusations lodged against Willis.

“We’ve heard a lot of the allegations,” said committee Chairman Bill Cowsert, R-Athens. “We’re tasked with investigating and finding the true facts.”

Merchant filed a motion in Fulton County Superior Court in January seeking to have Willis disqualified from prosecuting the case because of her romantic relationship with the lead prosecutor. Willis and Wade subsequently acknowledged the relationship but argued it doesn’t constitute grounds for disqualification.

On Wednesday, Merchant testified that Willis asked the county commission for more money in September 2021, indicating she needed it to address a backlog mostly of homicide cases. The commission allocated $780,000 for that purpose to cover expenses through the end of year and authorized up to $5 million for the following…