NationalWatch

A conversation about race and gender is  beginning to brew as Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis attempts to maintain her post as the lead prosecutor in the election racketeering case against former President Trump.

Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, Georgia, previously said the allegations brought against her of having an “improper” romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade were made because she is Black.

Now, a little more than a month after making that claim, a handful of Willis’ proponents are echoing her position.

Bishop Reginald T. Jackson, the presiding prelate of the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Georgia, told the New York Times he believes Willis wouldn’t be facing the allegations of misconduct if she were “not a woman and Black.”

BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS AFTER WILD 2-DAY HEARING ON FANI WILLIS AFFAIR: ‘WHAT’S DONE IS DONE’

“If she was not a woman and Black, I don’t think she would have gone through this,” said Jackson, whom the outlet noted has prayed with and counseled Willis in private in recent weeks.

“What this was all about was distraction and delay,” he added. “I think it’s time to move on.”

Kamina Pinder, a law professor at Emory University, told the outlet she knows Black women face “unique challenges” when holding positions of power.

“Everything she does is going to be scrutinized, so for her to do this is just bizarre,” Pinder told the outlet. “As a Black woman, I know there are unique challenges when you’re in a position of power, but that doesn’t excuse behavior that was dubious and unethical.”

Similarly, former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun, a Democrat who was the first Black woman elected to the U.S. Senate, suggested Willis is a “bigger target” for opponents because she is a “high-profile Black woman.”

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“Obviously, it was in somebody’s interest to bring her down,” Braun told the Times earlier this week. “The fact that she’s a high-profile Black woman just means that she’s a bigger target.”

An article from the Associated Press this week also pointed out the narrative that Willis is facing political turmoil due to her race.

“It absolutely feels familiar. There is no secret that the common sentiment among Black women in positions of power (is that they) must over-perform to be seen as equals to their counterparts,” Jessica T. Ornsby, a family litigation attorney in the Washington, D.C., area, told the outlet.

“Here, Ms. Willis is being scrutinized for things that are not directly related to her job performance, in ways we see other Black women regularly picked apart.”

Court documents filed last month claimed Willis hired Wade, her alleged partner, to prosecute Trump and benefited financially from the relationship in the form of lavish vacations the two went on using funds his firm received for working the case.

After the allegations were made, Willis spoke on the matter at the Big Bethel AME Church in Atlanta, where she said the claims against her were based on her race.

“They only attacked one,” she said at the time. “First thing they say, ‘Oh, she’s gonna play the race card now.’ … But no, God, isn’t it them that’s playing the race card when they only question one?”

Fulton County records show Wade has been paid nearly $654,000 in legal fees since January 2022, an amount authorized by the district attorney, or Willis in this case.

The filing also calls for the entire district attorney’s office, including Willis and Wade, to be disqualified from prosecuting the case.

FANI WILLIS HEARING TESTIMONY ‘JARRING,’ ‘PURE COMEDY GOLD,’ SOCIAL MEDIA DECLARES

Willis said last month that John Floyd and Anna Green Cross, both prosecutors assigned to the case, are both white and were not targeted.

“Isn’t it them playing the race card when they constantly think I need someone from some other jurisdiction in some other state to tell me how to do a job I’ve been doing almost 30 years,” Willis questioned.

Earlier this week, Willis took to the witness stand at an evidentiary hearing regarding her relationship with Wade.

Willis’ testimony was marked with notable hostility on Thursday, with the prosecutor calling some of the allegations “dishonest” and “extremely offensive.” At one point, Willis held up a printed copy of the allegations against her in both hands and turned to the judge, yelling, “This is a lie!”

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Willis also called defense attorney Ashleigh Merchant’s interests “contrary to democracy.”

Trump was indicted by Willis in August and pleaded not guilty to charges related to allegedly attempting to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, including violation of Georgia’s anti-racketeering law.

Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick, Brianna Herlihy and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Former President Donald Trump traveled over the weekend to Pennsylvania, where he was greeted at Sneaker Con with mixed and emotional reactions from those in attendance.

Trump’s surprise appearance at the event — known as “The Greatest Sneaker Show On Earth,” according to the organizer’s website — came shortly before the former president travels to Michigan for a campaign rally.

Taking the stage at the event in Philadelphia, Trump appeared before a crowd of emotional attendees, some of whom cheered on the president as others booed him during his speech.

Trump spoke for roughly 10 minutes, appearing alongside a pair of gold, custom Trump-branded sneakers that are now being sold in limited supply for $399 a pair.

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“A lot of emotion. There’s a lot of emotion in this room,” Trump said shortly after taking the podium. “They have lines going all around the block. They’ve never seen anything like this one.”

“I just want to tell you, you know, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. I have some incredible people that work with me on things and they came up with this,” Trump continued. “This is something I’ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years and I think it’s going to be a big success.”

Trump also noted that the “influencers” have been “very positive” about the new shoes, which are available for pre-order and are being created by CIC Ventures, the same company that made the Trump trading cards.

“They love it, and they love what we’ve done,” Trump said as he flashed the shoes to those in the audience. “That’s the real deal.”

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Trump told those in the audience that the most important thing they can do is vote and vowed to “turn this country around fast.”

At one point, several of those in the crowd began chanting, “USA, USA, USA.”

Prior to Trump’s appearance at the annual event, which gathers “sneakerheads” from all different corners of the world and has been taking place since 2009, Sneaker Con faced backlash from Trump critics for allowing the former president a venue to offer remarks.

Sneaker Con later addressed the backlash it had received through a statement shared on social media. Notably, organizers turned off the comments for the post on social media.

“Sneaker Con’s mission is to support and promote sneaker culture through our worldwide live events and digital platforms. We are thankful and appreciative of the sneaker community, and recognize individuals who generate awareness and authentic sneaker related engagement towards our community. #sneakercon,” the statement read.

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President Biden’s campaign mocked Trump’s attendance at the event.

“Donald Trump showing up to hawk bootleg Off-Whites is the closest he’ll get to any Air Force Ones ever again for the rest of his life,” said Biden-Harris 2024 communications director Michael Tyler in a statement.

Trump’s appearance in the battleground state of Pennsylvania comes one day after he was barred from operating his business in New York for three years and was found liable for more than $350 million in damages in the civil fraud case brought against him, his family and the Trump Organization by New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz was confronted by a raucous crowd of anti-Israel protesters Saturday outside his Houston home for a second time in one week.

In a post to social media Saturday morning, Cruz, who has been vocal about his support of Israel amid its war with Hamas militants, wrote, “For the [2nd] time this week, anti-Israel protestors have come to my house early in the morning, waking up the neighbors & harassing my family. None expressed concern about Hamas’ Oct 7 murder of over 1200 or mass rapes of women & children.”

The senator added, “I’m proud to stand with Israel.”

Though it is not immediately clear whether Cruz was at his home when the protesters arrived, the footage shared online, which was captured from Cruz’s front door, showed a little more than a dozen protesters holding signs and shouting anti-Israel chants.

CRUZ DEMANDS DOJ LAUNCH CRIMINAL PROBE OF US NONPROFIT ALLEGEDLY HELPING TERRORISTS

One sign featured an image of Cruz’s head above a red heart and the words “dead kids” listed below, while another individual held a sign that read, “STOP FUNDING GENOCIDE.”

“Ted Cruz, you will see, Palestine will be free. Ted Cruz, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today,” the protesters, almost all of whom rattled bells back and forth, shouted from the sidewalk running along the front side of Cruz’s home.

“Ted Cruz, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” the group also chanted. Another chant by the group insisted Cruz “should be in jail” over his support for Israel.

In a followup post to X, Cruz shared a Jewish solidarity anthem, writing, “Am Yisrael Chai!”

Am Yisrael Chai, a centuries-old Hebrew phrase, translates to “The people of Israel live.”

Cruz’s office confirmed to Fox News Digital that the protesters had previously gathered outside the senator’s Texas residence.

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Since the Oct. 7 outbreak of the war between Israel-Hamas, which was kickstarted after Iran-backed Hamas militants invaded southern Israel and slaughtered more than 1,000 innocent Israelis, Cruz has been an ardent supporter of Israel’s efforts.

In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland this week, Cruz led his Republican colleagues in outlining concerns about a U.S.-based nonprofit that raises money for UNRWA, the United Nations refugee agency for Palestinians that critics have long said promoted an anti-Israel agenda in the Middle East and recently came under scrutiny for its alleged ties to Hamas.

The senators urged the DOJ to open a criminal investigation into the nonprofit, “it’s principals, and its leadership for knowingly providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations, including Hamas.”

In a statement to Fox News Digital at the time, Cruz said, “UNRWA has been providing material support to Hamas terrorists for decades, and UNRWA USA has been bankrolling that support. Foreigners who knowingly funded UNRWA would normally be subject to sanctions, but the Biden administration provided exemptions for those activities. However, the administration did not and indeed cannot exempt American citizens from criminal statutes prohibiting material support for terrorism.”

He added, “Hamas’s October 7 atrocities have underlined the need to robustly enforce American anti-terrorism laws, and AG Garland should open a criminal investigation into UNRWA USA for potential violations of those laws.”

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UNRWA USA did not comment specifically on the letter being sent to Garland, but pointed Fox News Digital to its Jan. 29 statement that noted the nonprofit was “horrified by the recent allegations against twelve UNRWA staff members.”

Legal experts said it seems unlikely that Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis will be disqualified from prosecuting former President Donald Trump — but she may yet be recused from the case.

Willis faces allegations that she had an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to prosecute Trump and 18 others on racketeering charges for their attempt to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia. Michael Roman, a Trump co-defendant, and defense attorneys have claimed Willis has a conflict of interest because she went on vacations with her lover, Wade, that were allegedly paid for by taxpayer dollars his firm received from working on the case. 

“It is rare for courts to toss out a case based on these allegations,” said Jonathan Turley, a George Washington University law professor and Fox News contributor. “However, the court could force Wade and Willis to set aside due to the appearance of impropriety.” 

“What is now abundantly clear is that Wade and Willis are undermining the case and the office in their continuing in the case. That is as troubling as the underlying allegations,” he said. “They have placed their interests ahead of those of the office and the public. Disqualification presents a difficult challenge for the court after Wade and Willis claimed that all the key transactions were handled with untraceable cash.” 

BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS AFTER WILD 2-DAY HEARING ON FANI WILIS AFFAIR: ‘WHAT’S DONE IS DONE’

Defense attorneys put former friends and colleagues of Wade and Willis on the stand Thursday and Friday to testify that the pair had started a romantic relationship in 2019, years before they said the relationship began in court filings. Both Willis and Wade insisted that their relationship started in 2022, after Wade was hired to prosecute Trump. 

But Robin Yeartie, a former “good friend” of Willis and past employee at the DA’s office, contradicted their story. 

Yeartie told the court she had “no doubt” that Willis and Wade’s relationship started in 2019, after the two met at a conference. She testified to observing Willis and Wade “hugging” and “kissing” and showing “affection” prior to November 2021, and that she had no doubt that the two were in a “romantic” relationship starting in 2019, to when she and Willis last spoke in 2022.

The defense also called on Terrence Bradley, a former law partner of Wade’s — and his one-time divorce lawyer — to testify that the relationship started in 2019. However, Bradley cited attorney-client privilege to avoid answering several questions from defense attorneys. Judge Scott McAfee said Friday he would hold an “in-camera” meeting with Bradley to determine if his privilege assertions are accurate.

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Willis unexpectedly took the stand Thursday and denied allegations of impropriety. The district attorney said she paid Wade back in cash for trips they took to wine country in California, the Caribbean and other destinations. 

She verbally sparred with lawyers for hours, at one point prompting the judge to threaten to strike her testimony.

“You’re confused! I am not on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020,” Willis said in response to a line of questioning. She did not return to the witness stand on Friday.

Her father, John C. Floyd III, testified Friday and confirmed that he taught her to keep large amounts of cash on hand at all times. 

SEE IT: TOP MOMENTS FROM THE DA FANI WILLIS HEARING OVER ‘IMPROPER’ AFFAIR WITH NATHAN WADE

He also said he did not meet Wade until 2023, and that he was unaware his daughter had a romantic relationship with Wade until about seven weeks ago, when allegations of Wills’ impropriety were first made in court filings. 

Emory University School of Law associate professor John Acevedo told FOX 5 Atlanta the chances Willis will be disqualified from prosecuting Trump appear slim. 

“Here, it’s a bit of a stretch,” he said after reviewing this week’s evidentiary hearings in Fulton County Superior court. “She obviously isn’t getting any of that salary directly, instead the theory that’s been put forward is that she’s getting gifts from Wade from the salary that he’s being paid to prosecute these defendants.”

Acevedo suggested the defense has not yet been able to prove a direct benefit Willis had from hiring Wade. But the Emory prof told FOX 5 Atlanta that either way, the case looks bad for Willis, an Emory alumnus. 

“Reimbursement in cash, the discovering about the start of the relationship, that makes it possible that there could be a recusal here simply because of that appearance of impropriety, even if there is nothing actually wrong,” he said.

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Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett suggested that the timing of the affair is less of an issue than the fact that it happened at all.

“Both Willis and Wade admitted their sexual affair even though they claimed that it didn’t begin until after he was hired, not before. It doesn’t matter. The affair itself, regardless of when it started, is a severe conflict of interest, an obvious impropriety, and a violation of the cannons of ethics. That merits disqualification,” Jarrett said.  

“Whether the judge will see it that way is hard to tell,” he said. “Willis has only herself to blame. Her poor judgment and misconduct damaged her own case.  The public’s perception has ruined her credibility, and the jury will know that this case is tainted.” 

Judge McAfee said earlier in the week that it’s “clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.”

If the judge determines that Willis should be disqualified or removed, a new prosecutor would be appointed to handle the election interference case and may choose to scrap it entirely. Otherwise, Willis may continue to pursue her charges against Trump and others, with a trial to come later this year. 

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Turley said Wade and Willis should have already recused themselves.

“The most serious allegation, in my view, is that Willis and Wade made false statements and filings in court,” he told Fox News Digital. “They are prosecuting defendants for making and filing false statements. In the case of Wade, this goes beyond the question of when their affair began. Wade signed interrogatories denying any sexual relationship that stand contradicted by his own admissions. Both Willis and Wade should have recused themselves weeks ago.”  

Fox News DIgitals’ Brianna Herilhy contributed to this report. 

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Friday warned that former President Donald Trump will use the RNC to pay his mounting legal fees, should he win the 2024 GOP nomination.

In an interview on CNN, Haley said she does not want Trump to use the Republican National Committee (RNC) — which solicits donations from GOP voters — as his personal “piggy bank.” 

“My biggest issue is I don’t want the RNC to become his legal defense fund,” Haley told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. “I don’t want the RNC to become his piggy bank for his personal court cases. We’ve already seen him spend $50 million worth of campaign contributions toward his personal court cases.” 

“Now we see him trying to get control of the RNC, so he can continue not to have to pay his own legal fees,” she added.

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Haley’s comments came after a New York judge ordered Trump to pay more than $350 million in the civil fraud case brought by state Attorney General Letitia James. Judge Arthur Engoron ruled that Trump and other defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud,” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.” 

The judge also barred Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from serving as officers or directors of any New York corporation or legal entity in New York for two years. 

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Engoron’s ruling came weeks after Trump was ordered to pay over $83 million in a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual assault.

The RNC previously acknowledged that it had been paying certain legal fees “that relate to politically motivated legal proceedings waged against President Trump,” according to reporting from The Hill, including investigations by then-Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance Jr. and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

However, in 2022, the RNC said it would not pay Trump’s legal bills once he declared himself a candidate for the White House. 

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Haley raised concerns that should Trump win the 2024 GOP nomination, he would commandeer the RNC and loyal GOP donors to pick up the tab for his civil judgments. Trump has already endorsed North Carolina GOP chair Michael Whatley to take over from current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, along with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump to potentially serve as vice-chair. 

“The problem is that doesn’t help us when any seats in the House, in the Senate or anything else if the RNC is all focused on his legal fees,” Haley said on CNN. 

“He’s made the co-chair his daughter-in-law. He’s made his campaign manager the director of operations. He’s trying to control the RNC after the fact that he tried to get me out of the race so that he could be the presumptive nominee. All of that is so that he has an arm to pay his legal fees,” she continued. 

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“That’s the fear that every Republican should have, because we won’t win anything if he goes down that path.” 

The Trump campaign and RNC did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Trump and Haley will face off in the South Carolina Republican primary next Saturday on Feb. 24, 2024. 

Fox News Digital’s Michael Lee contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy extended an offer to Former President Trump to visit Ukraine and even take him to the front lines, during his appearance Saturday at the Munich Security Conference. 

“If Mr. Trump will come, I am ready even to go with him to the front line,” Zelenskkyy said on Saturday, followed by applause from the audience. 

“I think if we are in dialogue how to finish the war, we have to demonstrate people who are decision-makers, what does it mean — the real war. Not on Instagram — the real war,” he continued. 

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Zelenskyy noted that he had extended this same offer to Trump before, but that the visit ultimately depended on Trump. 

“I invited him publicly but it depends on his wishes,” Zelenskyy stated. 

Zelenskyy also commented that the invitation was open to candidates and officials in both parties, stating he was a proponent of bipartisan support. 

Trump, the current GOP frontrunner, has been vocal in his stance against sending additional aid to Ukraine. Just this past week, Trump called on Republicans to block a $95 billion package that would provide aid to both Ukraine and Israel. 

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The White House recently criticized the former President’s remarks after a campaign speech in Conway, South Carolina where Trump encouraged Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to NATO members that did not meet spending guidelines on defense, calling them “appalling and unhinged.”

“NATO was busted until I came along,” Trump said during the speech. “I said, ‘Everybody’s gonna pay.’ They said, ‘Well, if we don’t pay, are you still going to protect us?’ I said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They couldn’t believe the answer.”

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Zelenskky’s appearance at the Munich Security Conference comes as Russia’s war on Ukraine nears its second anniversary this month. Zelenskyy spoke on an “artificial deficit” in ammunition as well as continued support from the international community. 

Zelenskyy also stood alongside Vice President Kamala Harris during a joint press conference where the Vice President pledged continued U.S. support of Ukraine.

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Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom and Landon Mion contributed to this report. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James took a victory lap for the press following the fraud ruling against former President Donald Trump.

James made the celebratory comments during a press conference at her offices in Manhattan on Friday.

“Today, justice has been served. Today we proved that no one is above the law. No matter how rich, powerful or politically connected you are,” said James at a press conference on Friday after the ruling. The attorney general said the former president had generated deceptive business practices and tremendous fraud.”

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“The scale and the scope of Donald Trump’s fraud is staggering and so too is his ego,” said James. “And his belief that the rules do not apply to him. Today, we are holding Donald Trump accountable.”

Trump blasted “clubhouse politician” Judge Arthur Engoron Friday after he barred him from operating his business in New York for three years and fined him more than $350 million, defending the “great company” he built and telling Fox News Digital that the ruling is yet another example of Democrats “trying to stop” him, but that “they will not be successful.”

Engoron handed down his ruling Friday after a months-long civil fraud trial beginning in October and stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit alleging the former president inflated his assets and committed fraud.

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“A crooked New York judge working with the very corrupt attorney general of New York State, who ran on the basis of ‘I will get Trump’ before knowing me — before even knowing anything about me — just ruled that I have to pay a fine of $355 million based on absolutely nothing,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No victims. No damages. Great financial statements, with full disclaimer clauses, only success.” 

In September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud while building a real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

In Engoron’s 92-page ruling, he criticized Trump and his testimony during the trial, saying that he “rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial.” 

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The judge also barred Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or legal entity in New York for two years. 

James brought the lawsuit accusing Trump and the Trump Organization of fraudulent business practices. The court proceedings were contentious, with Engoron repeatedly placing Trump under a partial gag order to prevent him from criticizing court staff.

Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

The Australian Parliament voted overwhelmingly to call on the U.S. and U.K. Governments to end the prosecution of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, and a group of more than 35 U.S. lawyers wrote a letter urging the U.S. Justice Department to drop the charges against the Australian journalist.

This comes ahead of a hearing about Assange’s possible final legal appeal challenging his extradition from the U.K. to the U.S. to face charges for publishing classified U.S. military documents. The hearing will be held at the High Court in London on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If he is extradited to the U.S. after exhausting all his legal appeals, Assange, 52, would face trial in Alexandria, Virginia, and could be sentenced to up to 175 years in an American maximum-security prison.

The motion from the Australian Parliament, which was brought by Independent member Andrew Wilkie, passed on Wednesday by a vote of 86 to 42. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of the Labor Party voted in favor of the motion, while most members of the conservative opposition coalition opposed it.

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The parliamentary motion emphasized “the importance of the UK and USA bringing the matter to a close so that Mr. Assange can return home to his family in Australia.”

The Australian publisher is facing 17 charges for allegedly receiving, possessing and communicating classified information to the public under the Espionage Act, and one charge alleging a conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.

The charges were brought by the Trump administration’s Justice Department over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of cables leaked by U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning detailing war crimes committed by the U.S. government in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, detention camp. The materials also exposed instances of the CIA engaging in torture and rendition.

WikiLeaks’ “Collateral Murder” video showing the U.S. military gunning down civilians in Iraq, including two Reuters journalists, was also published 14 years ago.

Wilkie told the Parliament ahead of the vote that the motion “will send a powerful political signal to the British government and to the U.S. government.”

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During the debate, Wilkie urged fellow members of Parliament to support the motion because it was “time for all of us to take a stand” and “We’ve just about run out of time to save Julian Assange.”

Labor Party member Josh Wilson told Parliament that the same material that prompted the charges against Assange had been “published without legal consequence by media organizations in the United States.”

In 2022, the editors and publishers of U.S. and European outlets that worked with Assange on the publication of excerpts from the more than 250,000 documents he obtained in the Cablegate leak – The Guardian, The New York Times, Le Monde, Der Spiegel and El País – wrote an open letter calling for the U.S. to drop the charges against Assange.

The Obama administration in 2013 decided not to indict Assange over WikiLeaks’ 2010 publication of the classified cables because it would have had to also indict journalists from major news outlets who published the same materials, which has been described as “The New York Times problem.” Former President Obama also commuted Manning’s 35-year sentence for violations of the Espionage Act and other offenses to seven years in January 2017, and Manning, who had been imprisoned since 2010, was released later that year.

But the Justice Department under former President Trump later moved to indict Assange under the Espionage Act, and the Biden administration has continued to pursue his prosecution.

AUSTRALIAN MPS PEN LETTER URGING UK GOVERNMENT TO STOP JULIAN ASSANGE’S US EXTRADITION, CITING HEALTH CONCERNS

Albanese has repeatedly said in the last year that the U.S. should halt its extradition requests and that it is time to bring Assange’s case to a conclusion.

Last year, a cross-party delegation of Australian lawmakers visited Washington, D.C., and met with U.S. officials, members of Congress and civil rights groups to demand the charges against Assange be dropped. Multiple bipartisan efforts were also made last year by U.S. lawmakers who called for Assange’s release.

Assange has been held at London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison since he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy on April 11, 2019, for breaching bail conditions. He had sought asylum at the embassy since 2012 to avoid being sent to Sweden over allegations he raped two women because Sweden would not provide assurances it would protect him from extradition to the U.S. The investigations into the sexual assault allegations were eventually dropped.

Australia’s Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said Assange’s extradition case was raised when he met with U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in Washington, D.C., last month.

“This was a private discussion, however, this government’s position on Assange is very clear, and has not changed,” Dreyfus said in a statement. “It is time this matter is brought to an end.”

In the U.S., lawyers from various academic institutions across the country wrote a letter to Garland saying they “strongly urge the Department of Justice to end its efforts to extradite Wikileaks founder Julian Assange to the United States and to drop the charges against him under the Espionage Act.”

“Our personal views on Assange and WikiLeaks vary, and we are not writing to defend them in the court of public opinion. But when it comes to courts of law, we are united in our concern about the constitutional implications of prosecuting Assange,” the lawyers wrote in the letter dated Wednesday, adding that they “believe the Espionage Act charges against him pose an existential threat to the First Amendment.”

The letter cites the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in numerous instances that journalists may publish true and newsworthy information even if their sources obtained the information unlawfully.

The lawyers also note that the indictment against Assange accuses him of “recruit[ing] sources” and “soliciting” confidential documents by maintaining a website indicating that it accepts confidential materials.

BIPARTISAN CONGRESSIONAL RESOLUTION CALLS ON US OFFICIALS TO DROP CHARGES AGAINST ASSANGE

“Award-winning journalists everywhere also regularly ‘recruit’ and speak with sources, use encrypted or anonymous communications channels, receive and accept confidential information, ask questions to sources about it, and publish it,” they wrote. “That is not a crime — it’s investigative journalism. As long as they don’t participate in their source’s illegality, their conduct is entitled to the full protection of the First Amendment.”

The lawyers further argued that the fallout from prosecuting Assange could extend beyond the Espionage Act and national security journalism, saying that the case could “enable prosecution of routine newsgathering under any number of ambiguous laws and untested legal theories” and there have already been instances where prosecutors “test the outer limits of some such theories in cases against journalists.”

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“The Justice Department under your watch has spoken about the importance of newsgathering and ensuring the First Amendment rights of reporters are protected, even when stories involve classified information,” the lawyers told Garland. “You have also strengthened the Justice Department’s internal guidelines in cases involving reporters. We applaud these efforts. But a prosecution of Assange under the Espionage Act would undermine all these policies and open the door to future Attorneys General bringing similar felony charges against journalists.”

No publisher had been charged under the Espionage Act until Assange, and many press freedom groups have said his prosecution sets a dangerous precedent intended to criminalize journalism. U.S. prosecutors and critics of Assange have argued WikiLeaks’ publication of classified material put the lives of U.S. allies at risk, but there is no evidence that the publishing of the documents put anyone in danger.

Nikki Haley was the first of more than a dozen White House contenders to challenge former President Donald Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination.

One year after she launched her campaign, the former two-term South Carolina governor who later served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration is the last major rival standing against the former president in the race for Republican standard-bearer.

“One year ago, there were 13 fellas in the race, and we were polling at 2%. But we knew what we were fighting for: a strong and proud America. And now, one year later, we’re back in my sweet state of South Carolina and we’re ready to bring it home!,” Haley said Thursday on social media.

But with one week to go until the South Carolina Republican presidential primary, Haley faces a steep uphill climb for the nomination against Trump, the frontrunner, as he makes his third straight bid for the White House.

HALEY SPOTLIGHTS TRUMP CHAOS’ AS JUDGE SETS FORMER PRESIDENT’S HUSH MONEY TRIAL DATE

Trump grabbed a majority of the votes last month in Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary victories and won by a landslide a week and a half ago in the Nevada and U.S. Virgin Island caucuses. And with the Feb. 24 South Carolina primary fast approaching, the latest public opinion surveys suggest the former president holds a double-digit lead over Haley in her home state.

“She’s getting clobbered,” Trump emphasized Wednesday night at a rally in North Charleston, South Carolina. “She’s finished.”

Haley has been campaigning vigorously in her home state and kicked off a bus tour last weekend as early voting in the Republican primary got underway. Haley’s campaign and an aligned super PAC have also been spending millions to flood South Carolina’s airwaves with ads touting her and targeting Trump.

TRUMP TO JOIN FOX NEWS’ LAURA INGRAHAM FOR SOUTH CAROLINA TOWN HALL

Trump, by comparison, didn’t set foot in South Carolina for two months, until he held two rallies in the Palmetto State over the past week. The former president will return to South Carolina Tuesday for a Fox News town hall hosted by Laura Ingraham.  

And Trump and an aligned super PAC were dark in the state until the former president’s campaign went up this week with a low six-figure ad buy.

While South Carolina is home for Haley, the former president enjoys the backing of the state’s governor, nearly the entire congressional delegation and scores of state lawmakers and local officials.

Veteran South Carolina-based Republican consultant Dave Wilson pointed to Trump’s “groundswell” in the state and highlighted the former president’s “ground forces.”

THE NEXT STOP IN THE HALEY-TRUMP 2024 GOP PRIMARY SHOWDOWN

Wilson also noted that “Nikki Haley is reintroducing herself to South Carolina” because “almost a million people have moved into the statae since she was governor.”

But pointing to her undefeated electoral record, Wilson said, “Never underestimate Nikki Haley. Never count Nikki Haley out.”

Haley has repeatedly said she doesn’t need to win her home state. 

FIRST ON FOX: HALEY HAULS IN BIG BUCKS DURING WEST COAST SWING

“Success means being competitive. Closing the gap. Making sure we can continue to go forward as we go into Super Tuesday,” Haley stressed in a Fox News Digital interview earlier this month in Columbia, South Carolina.

“It’s just about keeping that momentum going. We got 20% in Iowa. We got 43% in New Hampshire. Let’s bring it a little bit closer so that we can get closer in to him [Trump] and make it more competitive going into Super Tuesday.”

Haley took a short break from her South Carolina stumping to raise cash and campaign Thursday and Friday in Texas, one of the 15 states holding Republican nominating contests on Super Tuesday in early March. She hauled in over $1 million during her first day in Texas.

And Haley raked in $1.7 million in fundraising, as Fox News first reported, during a two-day campaign swing a week and a half ago in California, another large Super Tuesday state. The stops in Texas and California appear in part to be a marker for Haley as she pushes back against calls by some Republicans to drop out of the race and allow Trump to focus on facing off with Biden in November.

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“I’m in this for the long haul,” Haley emphasized at a campaign rally last week in Los Angeles.

And Haley reiterated to Fox News Digital that “our focus is on South Carolina, Michigan, Super Tuesday.”

Michigan holds its primary Tuesday, Feb. 27, three days after South Carolina.

Longtime Republican consultant David Carney, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns, noted that “people support Haley. No question about it. And she’ll raise money. No question about it.”

But Carney, who remains neutral in the 2024 GOP nomination race, emphasized, “I don’t see any pathway” for Haley.

Pointing to rules in many of the March 5 GOP contests that award the candidate who tops 50% either statewide or in congressional districts the lion’s share of delegates, Carney predicted that, for Haley, “Super Tuesday will be really painful.”

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

The second and final day of a court hearing of evidence in allegations that Georgia prosecutor Fani Wills had an “improper” affair with her colleague has concluded, but the judge will still review testimony in a closed-door meeting. 

After a bombshell admission by the defense’s key witness, Terrence Bradley, who avoided answering certain questions citing attorney client privilege, Judge Scott McAfee said he would hold an “in-camera” meeting with Bradley to determine if his privilege assertions are accurate.

Bradley is the former law firm partner to Nathan Wade, who is accused of having an affair that financially benefitted Willis after she hired him to help prosecute the election interference case against former president Donald Trump. 

Bradley had refused to answer some of the questions asked by defense counsel about what he knew about Wade and Wills’ relationship and when he knew, citing attorney client privilege. Bradley, for a brief time, was Wade’s lawyer during his divorce, which was finalized in 2023. 

5 EXPLOSIVE MOMENTS FROM FANI WILLIS’ HEATED TESTIMONY IN TRUMP FULTON COUNTY CASE: ‘IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN …’

But Bradley admitted that a large reason he left the law firm was because an employee at the firm accused him of sexual assault, though he denied the allegation. He also indirectly admitted that he paid the employee who accused him.

This is significant because earlier in his testimony Bradley testified that the reason he left the firm was related to Wade’s divorce proceedings, and therefore covered by attorney client privilege.

Judge Scott McAfee said that Bradley’s admission re-opens questions about what Bradley refused to answer about what he knew about Wade and Fani Willis’ romantic relationship and when he knew. Bradley refused to answer citing attorney client privilege.

“Mr. Bradley previously testified that the reason he left the firm was totally and completely covered by privilege. When asked by the state, he went into a factual scenario that, to my mind, I don’t see how it relates to privilege at all. And so now I’m left wondering if Mr. Bradley has been properly interpreting privilege this entire time,” the judge said.

Earlier on Friday, Willis’ father, John C. Floyd III, took the stand and confirmed what Willis testified to on Thursday – that her father taught her to keep large amounts of cash on hand at all times.

He also said he did not meet Wade until 2023, and that he was unaware his daughter had a romantic relationship with Wade until about seven weeks ago, when allegations of Wills’ impropriety were first made in court filings. 

During their romantic relationship, which ended roughly the summer of last year, Wade and Willis vacationed to wine country in California, the Caribbean, among other destinations. 

Michael Roman, a GOP political operative and co-defendant in the Trump case, first alleged that Willis had a conflict of interest in the case because she financially benefitted from hiring her lover. Four co-defendants have made similar accusations. 

FULTON COUNTY DA FANI WILLIS ACCUSED OF LYING ABOUT TIMING OF AFFAIR WITH TRUMP PROSECUTOR

The crux of the defense’s case is whether they can prove with a money trail that Willis has a conflict of interest in the case against Trump and should be disqualified. 

Willis testified Thursday that she reimbursed Wade for her share of vacation expenses in cash, but both she and Wade testified there were no receipts for those transactions.

The defense, led by Ashleigh Merchant, are also trying to prove that Willis and Wade were romantically involved prior to Wade’s employment at the DA’s office.

Both Willis and Wade insisted that their relationship started in 2022, after Wade was hired. But they contradict testimony from Robin Yeartie, a former “good friend” of Willis and past employee at the DA’s office. 

GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS WILL NOT TESTIFY FOR SECOND DAY ON ‘IMPROPER’ AFFAIR WITH NATHAN WADE

Yeartie said she had “no doubt” the Willis and Wade’s relationship started in 2019, after the two met at a conference. 

Yeartie testified to observing Willis and Wade “hugging” and “kissing” and showing “affection” prior to November 2021, and that she had no doubt that the two were in a “romantic” relationship starting in 2019, to when she and Willis last spoke in 2022. 

Willis dismissed Yeartie’s testimony and said she no longer considers Yeartie to be a friend. 

The highlight of the two-day proceeding was Willis’ own – an unexpected – testimony on Thursday, described by one expert as “belligerent.”

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She verbally sparred with lawyers for hours, at one point, prompting the judge to threaten to strike her testimony. She also raised eyebrows for appearing to be wearing her dress backwards. She did not return to the witness stand on Friday. 

Judge McAfee said earlier in the week that it’s “clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.”

Judge McAfee said he would hold a summation hearing of all the evidence presented in the next week or two.

Allyn Stockton Jr., lawyer for co-defendant Rudy Giuliani told Fox News  following the hearing, “I don’t think anything has been earth shattering today, what’s done is done.” 

When asked if the hearing would make a difference for his client, he replied, “As it relates to my client, what’s going on relates to all of it, about the integrity of the process itself.”

“The judge is sharper than I am, I have no idea where he’ll come down on this,” he said. 

Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said that he does not have any plans to run for president or vice president in 2024.

Romney’s comment came after Democrat Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he would pick either Romney or former Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman as a running mate if he jumped into the 2024 presidential race.

“Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate, really who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” Manchin, who has left the door open to a third-party presidential run, told voters Thursday at the City Club of Cleveland breakfast forum. Manchin, however, added that he was not “not running for anything.”

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who ran for the White House in 2008 and 2012, squashed the rumors and noted he would “certainly” not be a vice president.

JOE MANCHIN SUGGESTS ROMNEY, ROB PORTMAN AS POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES AS HE FLIRTS WITH THIRD-PARTY TICKET

“Well, that’s really presumptuous. I would be the president. He would be my running mate,” Romney joked in a statement to Deseret News when asked about Manchin’s comment.

MANCHIN ‘ABSOLUTELY’ CAN SEE HIMSELF AS PRESIDENT, THINKS BIDEN HEALTH OR TRUMP CONVICTION COULD GIVE OPENING

“No, I’m not going to run for president,” he added. “Certainly I’m not running for vice president. But (Manchin is) kind to say that. We’re good friends.”

After flirting with a third-party White House run for months, Manchin on Friday said he wouldn’t bid for the presidency.

“I will not be seeking a third-party run, i will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin announced during a speech in West Virginia.

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Romney was the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, sparking rumors he might be considering a third run at the White House after deciding not to seek re-election in the Senate in 2024.

Romney also added that he will “not” be voting for former President Trump if he is the 2024 GOP nominee.

Fox News’ Jamie Joseph contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. 

What’s Happening? 

– NY judge orders Trump to pay hundreds of millions, bars him from operating business…

– DA Fani Willis did not testify Friday after fiery courtroom appearance…

– Biden visits East Palestine, Ohio, more than a year later…

Trump vows appeal

Former President Trump blasted “clubhouse politician” Judge Arthur Engoron Friday after he barred him from operating his business in New York for three years and fined him more than $350 million, defending the “great company” he built and telling Fox News Digital that the ruling is yet another example of Democrats “trying to stop” him, but that “they will not be successful.”

Engoron handed down his ruling Friday after a months-long civil fraud trial beginning in October and stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit alleging the former president inflated his assets and committed fraud. 

Trump spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital shortly after Engoron’s ruling was made public Friday afternoon. 

“A crooked New York judge working with the very corrupt attorney general of New York State, who ran on the basis of ‘I will get trump’ before knowing me — before even knowing anything about me — just ruled that I have to pay a fine of $355 million based on absolutely nothing,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No victims. No damages. Great financial statements, with full disclaimer clauses, only success.” 

Southern scandal

‘SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN’: Meet Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor accused of having ‘improper’ affair with Fani Willis …Read more

FIERY DAY 2: DA Fani Willis doesn’t take the stand in second day of the hearing …Read more

SEE IT: Top moments from the DA Fani Willis hearing over ‘improper’ affair with Nathan Wade so far …Read more

White House

‘MENTAL DECLINE’: Republicans pressure Biden to take cognitive test, calling it a ‘national security concern’ …Read more

‘OUTRAGEOUS EFFORT’: Biden calls for an end to impeachment inquiry after indictment of FBI informant: ‘Outrageous effort’ …Read more

‘LASER FOCUS’: Biden insist’s he’s committed to helping East Palestine a year after toxic train derailment …Read more

Tails from the campaign trail

‘FAR OVERDUE’: Trump-endorsed Ohio Senate candidate blasts Biden’s visit to East Palestine …Read more

MANCHIN OUT: West Virginia senator declines third-party presidential run …Read more

‘WE’RE GOOD FRIENDS’: Romney reveals whether he has plans to run for president, serve as Manchin’s VP …Read more

‘COMMONSENSE CONSERVATIVE’: Former special forces soldier lands big endorsement in race to flip House seat …Read more

‘RACE OF HIS LIFE’: Dem Sen blasts GOP for not caring about immigration; record comes back to haunt him …Read more

Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump blasted “clubhouse politician” Judge Arthur Engoron Friday after he barred him from operating his business in New York for three years and fined him more than $350 million, defending the “great company” he built and telling Fox News Digital that the ruling is yet another example of Democrats “trying to stop” him, but that “they will not be successful.”

Engoron handed down his ruling Friday after a months-long civil fraud trial beginning in October and stemming from New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit alleging the former president inflated his assets and committed fraud. 

TRUMP BARRED FROM OPERATING BUSINESS, ORDERED TO PAY OVER $350 MILLION IN NY CIVIL FRAUD CASE

Trump spoke exclusively to Fox News Digital shortly after Engoron’s ruling was made public Friday afternoon. 

“A crooked New York judge working with the very corrupt attorney general of New York State, who ran on the basis of ‘I will get trump’ before knowing me — before even knowing anything about me — just ruled that I have to pay a fine of $355 million based on absolutely nothing,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “No victims. No damages. Great financial statements, with full disclaimer clauses, only success.” 

Trump told Fox News Digital that the “banks and insurance companies were thrilled — they made nothing but money. No defaults, no nothing at a time when many banks are losing money.” 

“This is a witch hunt where the judge ruled against me before he even saw the case,” Trump said, noting that Engoron “strongly stated that said Mar-a-Lago was worth $18 million- when it is worth anywhere from 50 to 100 times more than that.” 

In September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud while building a real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

Trump also said Engoron has “already been overturned on this case four times — a record.” 

TRUMP VISITS MANHATTAN COURT TO BLAST NYAG CASE, PRAISES APPELLATE RULING IN HIS FAVOR

Trump was referring to the New York State Appellate Division ruling. 

“I built a great company and now this whacked out clubhouse politician judge bars me for three years,” Trump said, adding that the case “should have gone to the commercial division,” but said Engoron “wouldn’t allow it to happen.” 

Trump told Fox News Digital that Engoron “is a political hack working in conjunction with a crooked attorney general in the greatest case of election interference anyone has ever seen in this country.” 

In Engoron’s 92-page ruling, he criticized Trump and his testimony during trial, saying that he “rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial.” 

“His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility,” Engoron wrote. 

When asked for reaction, Trump told Fox News Digital: “I answered the questions very directly and the financial statements speak for themselves — they are fantastic financial statements.” 

“He is just a clubhouse politician,” Trump said. “This country is becoming worse than Russia ever was.” 

“They are doing this because I am beating Biden in the polls by so much,” Trump told Fox News Digital. “They are trying to stop me, but they will not be successful.” 

He added: “I’m fighting for America. I’m fighting for the people.” 

Trump told Fox News Digital that he has “already won most of the appeal” at the New York State Appellate Division, saying Engoron has “refused to recognize after four losses there already,” but vowed to “appeal the rest of the decision also.” 

Engoron ruled that Trump and defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud,” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.” 

The judge also barred Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or legal entity in New York for two years. 

Engoron also “permanently” barred defendants Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, and the ormer corporate controller Jeffrey McConney from “serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State,” and as a director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for three years. 

New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the lawsuit accusing Trump and the Trump Organization of fraudulent business practices. The court proceedings were contentious, with Engoron repeatedly placing Trump under a partial gag order to prevent him from criticizing court staff.

TRUMP’S GAG ORDER CHALLENGE IN NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ CIVIL SUIT REJECTED

James had sought $370 million, plus 9% interest in penalties from Trump. Any awarded funds would go to the New York State Treasury, unless directed elsewhere by the state comptroller.

Trump’s legal team also repeatedly blasted the lack of a jury in the trial.

“There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital last month. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”

Trump and his family denied any wrongdoing, with the former president saying his assets had been undervalued. Trump’s legal team insisted that his financial statements had disclaimers, and made it clear to banks that they should conduct their own assessments.

Trump has said his financial statements were “perfect,” and stressed that the bank loans were repaid and are “as happy as can be.”  

Throughout the trial, Trump attorneys brought witnesses, including former Deutsche Bank top executives, who testified the banks sought additional business from Trump, whom they viewed as a “whale of a client.”

Trump’s defense also brought in expert witnesses, including New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, who reviewed the Trump financial statements at issue in the case and said he found no evidence of accounting fraud.

Bartov testified last month that Trump’s financial statements did not violate accounting principles, and he suggested that anything problematic — like a huge year-to-year leap in the estimated value of his Trump Tower penthouse — was simply an error.

“My main finding is that there is no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud,” Bartov testified. Trump’s financial statements, he said, “were not materially misstated.”

James’ office had requested that Engoron ban Trump, his sons and the other defendants from applying for loans in New York for five years, in addition to blocking the Trump Organization from handling any real estate business for the same period.

Trump and his team have pointed to James’ comments to supporters as she ran for her position.

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“We’re definitely gonna sue him, we’re gonna be a real pain in the a–,” James once told a supporter on video.

James also once said Trump was an “existential threat,” and said “the No. 1 issue in this country is defeating Donald Trump.”

“Nothing else matters,” James said.

Former President Donald Trump was barred from operating his business in New York for three years and was found liable for more than $350 million in damages in the civil fraud case brought against him, his family and the Trump Organization by New York Attorney General Letitia James. 

New York Judge Arthur Engoron handed down his ruling Friday after a months-long trial beginning in October and stemming from James’ lawsuit alleging the former president inflated his assets and committed fraud. 

Engoron ruled that Trump and defendants were liable for “persistent and repeated fraud,” “falsifying business records,” “issuing false financial statements,” “conspiracy to falsify false financial statements,” “insurance fraud,” and “conspiracy to commit insurance fraud.” 

The judge also barred Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or legal entity in New York for two years. 

TRUMP VISITS MANHATTAN COURT TO BLAST NYAG CASE, PRAISES APPELLATE RULING IN HIS FAVOR

Engoron also “permanently” barred defendants Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, and the ormer corporate controller Jeffrey McConney from “serving in the financial control function of any New York corporation or similar business entity registered and/or licensed in New York State,” and as a director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in New York for three years. 

READ IT:

Engoron, in his 92-page ruling, criticized Trump and his testimony during trial, saying that he “rarely responded to the questions asked, and he frequently interjected long, irrelevant speeches on issues far beyond the scope of the trial.” 

“His refusal to answer the questions directly, or in some cases, at all, severely compromised his credibility,” Engoron wrote. 

Trump attorney Christopher Kise slammed the decision saying the court “ignored the law, ignored the facts, and simply signed off on the Attorney General’s manifestly unjust political crusade against the front-running candidate for President of the United States.” 

“Legal cases are supposed to be decided based on the application of established legal principles to the actual evidence,” Kise said. “During 44 days of trial, not one witness, not one complaint, and not one victim supported the Attorney General’s manufactured claims of ‘fraud.’  Moreover, the evidence established President Trump’s net worth far exceeded what was reported in his financial statements.” 

Kise said “even the bankers actually involved in the loans testified there was nothing misleading, there was no fraud, and the transactions were all highly profitable.” 

“But the Court blatantly refused to follow a binding Appellate Division decision, ignored and twisted the evidence, and imposed a draconian and unconstitutional fine and a corporate ‘death penalty’ on President Trump, his family, and the extraordinary global business empire he developed over a lifetime of hard work and achievement,” Kise continued. “Hard to imagine a more unfair process and hard to believe this is happening in America.” 

Kise added: “Make no mistake, the sobering future consequences of this tyrannical abuse of power do not just impact President Trump.” 

Kise said that “when a Court willingly allows a reckless government official to meddle in the lawful, private, and profitable affairs of any citizen based on political bias, America’s economic prosperity and way of life are at extreme risk of extinction.” 

“Both the trial and this unprincipled decision have certainly diminished public confidence in the integrity of the legal system,” he said, adding that,  “left unchecked, this decision will cause irreparable damage to both the business community and the rule of law in our country.” 

Kise said Trump “will of course appeal and remains confident the Appellate Division will ultimately correct the innumerable and catastrophic errors made by a trial court untethered to the law or to reality.”

The former president’s attorney Alina Habba also blasted the verdict as “a manifest injustice – plain and simple.” 

“It is the culmination of a multi-year, politically fueled witch hunt that was designed to ‘take down Donald Trump,’ before Letitia James ever stepped foot into the Attorney General’s office. Countless hours of testimony proved that there was no wrongdoing, no crime, and no victim,” Habba said. “Given the grave stakes, we trust that the Appellate Division will overturn this egregious verdict and end this relentless persecution against my clients.” 

Habba added: “Let me make one thing perfectly clear: this is not just about Donald Trump – if this decision stands, it will serve as a signal to every single American that New York is no longer open for business.” 

New York Attorney General Letitia James brought the lawsuit accusing Trump and the Trump Organization of fraudulent business practices. The court proceedings were contentious, with Engoron repeatedly placing Trump under a partial gag order to prevent him from criticizing court staff.

James had sought $370 million, plus 9% interest in penalties from Trump. Any awarded funds would go to the New York State Treasury, unless directed elsewhere by the state comptroller.

Trump dismissed the trial as a “witch hunt” throughout the process, accusing both Engoron and James of serving as political operatives for Democrats. Trump’s legal team also repeatedly blasted the lack of a jury in the trial.

“There was never an option to choose a jury trial,” a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital last month. “It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened.”

TRUMP’S GAG ORDER CHALLENGE IN NEW YORK AG LETITIA JAMES’ CIVIL SUIT REJECTED

Trump and his family denied any wrongdoing, with the former president saying his assets had been undervalued. Trump’s legal team insisted that his financial statements had disclaimers, and made it clear to banks that they should conduct their own assessments.

Trump has said his financial statements were “perfect,” and stressed that the bank loans were repaid and are “as happy as can be.”  

Throughout the trial, Trump attorneys brought witnesses, including former Deutsche Bank top executives, who testified the banks sought additional business from Trump, whom they viewed as a “whale of a client.”

Trump’s defense also brought in expert witnesses, including New York University accounting professor Eli Bartov, who reviewed the Trump financial statements at issue in the case and said he found no evidence of accounting fraud.

Bartov testified last month that Trump’s financial statements did not violate accounting principles, and he suggested that anything problematic — like a huge year-to-year leap in the estimated value of his Trump Tower penthouse — was simply an error.

“My main finding is that there is no evidence whatsoever of any accounting fraud,” Bartov testified. Trump’s financial statements, he said, “were not materially misstated.”

James’ office had requested that Engoron ban Trump, his sons and the other defendants from applying for loans in New York for five years, in addition to blocking the Trump Organization from handling any real estate business for the same period.

JUDGE IMPOSES PARTIAL GAG ORDER IN TRUMP ORG TRIAL, BLOCKING PARTIES FROM VERBAL ATTACKS AGAINST COURT STAFF

Trump and his team have pointed to James’ comments to supporters as she ran for her position.

“We’re definitely gonna sue him, we’re gonna be a real pain in the a–,” James once told a supporter on video.

James also once said Trump was an “existential threat,” and said “the No. 1 issue in this country is defeating Donald Trump.”

“Nothing else matters,” James said.

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In September, Engoron ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization had committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing.

“He ruled against me without knowing anything about me,” Trump said on the stand during the trial last year. “He called me a fraud, and he didn’t know anything about me.”

Engoron’s ruling comes weeks after Trump was ordered to pay over $83 million in a defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of sexual assault.

President Biden excoriated the House of Representatives on Friday for taking a two-week recess, which he referred to as a “vacation,” despite facing criticism himself for the number of vacations he has taken during his presidency.

“No, but it’s about time they step up, don’t you think?” Biden told a reporter on Friday when asked whether there is anything he can do to get more ammunition to Ukraine without Congress.

“Instead of going on a two-week vacation. Two weeks, walking away. Two weeks? What are they thinking? My God, this is bizarre, and its just reinforcing, and it’s just reinforcing all the concern and, and almost I won’t say panic, but real concern about the United States being a reliable ally. This is outrageous.”

Biden, who has been heavily criticized by conservatives for the amount of time he has spent on vacation at his Delaware beach house over the years, faced backlash online from conservatives over his Friday comment. 

CNN DEFENDS BIDEN’S ‘ROUTINE’ VACATION AGAINST ‘REPUBLICAN BACKLASH’ IN RIDICULED PIECE: ‘CAN’T MAKE THIS UP’

“Wait — Biden, the man who has spent more of his term on vacation than working and has been MIA on vacay during nearly every major event of the past years — is mad that the House is out for two weeks?” Conservative author and commentator Dana Loesch posted on X.

“In a related story, Biden will be taking another long weekend at the beach and has spent 40% of his presidency on vacation,” Fox News contributor Joe Concha posted on X. 

“REALITY CHECK: Joe Biden has spent 40% of his presidency on vacation,” GOP strategist Steve Guest posted on X. 

50 CENT RIPS BIDEN FOR DELAWARE BEACH TRIP AMID ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR: ‘WE GOT SOME REAL S— GOING ON’

According to a New York Post report last fall, Biden is on pace to spend about 40% of his presidency on vacation, compared to former President Trump who spent 26% of his time outside Washington, D.C., and Obama’s 11%.

Biden was home in Delaware during several tumultuous moments, including the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and during the first discovery of Chinese spy balloons over the United States.

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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.

Biden has been chiding GOP leadership in the House over the last few days to pass a $95 billion national security supplemental package to assist Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific that recently passed in the Senate by a vote of 70-29.

“The Republican-led House will not be jammed or forced into passing a foreign aid bill,” Johnson said at a press conference afterward.

Johnson, who rejected a border-security compromise that was eventually stripped from the final product, said the Senate’s package “does nothing” to secure the U.S.-Mexico border, which has been the GOP’s priority.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., announced Friday that he will not be running for president, shooting down months of speculation that he would join the race on a third-party ticket. 

“I will not be seeking a third-party run, I will not be involved in a presidential run,” Manchin said. 

Manchin made the announcement during a speech at West Virginia University as part of his “listening tour” that kicked off last month with his daughter’s campaign group “Americans Together” — a movement that touts itself as the “moderate majority” that rejects the “extremism in politics.” 

“I’m working with my daughter, working with people that we have around Americans Together and putting all my efforts toward that,” he said Friday.

Manchin previously said he would not make a decision on whether he would run until after Super Tuesday on March 5. 

“People are looking for options,” Manchin said at the time. “And we’re going to be looking at that, too.” 

JOE MANCHIN SUGGESTS MITT ROMNEY, ROB PORTMAN AS POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES AS HE FLIRTS WITH THIRD-PARTY TICKET

On Thursday, Manchin said in a hypothetical run he would tap Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, or former Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman to be his vice presidential running mate, but later added he’s not “running for anything.”

“Hypothetically, if I was picking my running mate, really who I would ask right now is Mitt Romney,” Manchin told voters at the City Club of Cleveland breakfast forum Thursday.

Romney, a former Massachusetts governor who ran for the White House in 2008 and 2012, jokingly called Manchin’s remarks “presumptuous.” 

MANCHIN ‘ABSOLUTELY’ CAN SEE HIMSELF AS PRESIDENT, THINKS BIDEN HEALTH OR TRUMP CONVICTION COULD GIVE OPENING

“I would be the president. He would be my running mate,” Romney said in a statement to Deseret News when asked about Manchin’s comment.

Romney also announced last year that he would not seek re-election to the Senate when his term expires in 2025. 

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“No, I’m not going to run for president,” he added. “Certainly I’m not running for vice president. But (Manchin is) kind to say that. We’re good friends.”

No Labels, the third-party effort that is on the ballot in several states and was rumored to be considering placing Manchin on a presidential ticket, said it is considering other potential candidates for a “unity ticket.”

“No Labels has spent 14 years working to create a movement for America’s commonsense majority and we welcome Senator Manchin’s efforts to strengthen it,” No Labels co-chairs former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., and former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory said in a joint statement.

“No Labels is currently speaking with several exceptional leaders about serving on the presidential Unity ticket. We are continuing to make great progress on our ballot access efforts and will announce in the coming weeks whether we will offer our line to a Unity ticket.”

Fox News’ Aubrie Spady and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

FIRST ON FOX: Ohio U.S. Senate candidate Bernie Moreno took aim at President Biden on Friday for his planned visit to East Palestine, Ohio, insisting his trip to the region is “far overdue” after a hazardous train derailment last year sent the community’s residents into peril.

“Joe Biden’s visit to East Palestine is far overdue. While this administration and Democrats in the Senate have been focused on giving endless aid to Ukraine while neglecting our own nation, citizens of East Palestine have paid the price,” Moreno told Fox News Digital.

“I hope that Biden’s visit will inspire him to confront challenges that Americans are dealing with every day rather than continuing to fund endless wars abroad,” he added.

Biden’s visit, which was announced last month by the White House, comes more than a year after the train derailment shook the rural Ohio village, which is located in Columbiana County on the state’s border with Pennsylvania.

TRUMP ALLY MORENO PICKS UP NOEM ENDORSEMENT, RISES TO TOP OHIO REPUBLICAN VYING TO BOOT DEMOCRAT SHERROD BROWN

Last month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked whether Biden still had plans to visit East Palestine. She told reporters, “The president will visit when it’s most helpful to the community.”

East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told Fox last month that he believed the “best time” for Biden to travel to the village “would be February of 2025, when he is on his book tour.”

Conaway additionally told Fox, “The president is always welcome to our town,” adding, “that being said, I don’t know what he would do here now.”

Biden had claimed in September that he simply had not had time with his busy schedule to visit the Ohio town.

Biden’s lack of a visit came in contrast to former President Trump, who met with residents of East Palestine on Feb. 22, 2023, just weeks after the incident. Joining him was Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.

“You are not forgotten. We stand with you. We pray for you. And we will stand with you and your fight to help ensure the accountability that you deserve,” Trump told the crowd at the time. “The community has shown the tough and resilient heart of America. And that’s what it is. This is really America right here. We’re standing in America.”

A successful Cleveland-based businessman and luxury auto dealership giant, Moreno launched his second straight bid for U.S. Senate in Ohio last April, touting himself as an outsider and a conservative.

TED CRUZ MAKES ENDORSEMENT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND SENATE RACE: ‘BERNIE MORENO HAS WHAT IT TAKES’

In December, Moreno’s candidacy in the race was endorsed by Trump.

“It’s time for the entire Republican Party to UNITE around Bernie’s campaign for Senate, so that we can have a BIG victory in what will be the most important Election in American History,” Trump wrote on TRUTH Social at the time. “Bernie is the Father of wonderful Emily, the wife of outstanding young Ohio Congressman, Max Miller. Bernie is Strong on the Border, Crime, Cutting Taxes, Election Integrity, the Military / Vets, and will always protect our under siege 2nd Amendment.”

Furthering his remarks, Trump insisted that Moreno “will be an outstanding United States Senator, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement—He will never let you down.”

In a second post, Trump went on to say, “Bernie Moreno, a highly respected businessman from the GREAT State of Ohio, is exactly the type of MAGA fighter that we need in the United States Senate. Bernie will always stand up to the Fascist ‘nut jobs’ and the spineless RINOS in order to fight the corrupt Deep State that is destroying our Country.”

“Remember, we need a successful political outsider like Bernie to defeat Liberal career politician, Sherrod Brown, who has so poorly represented Ohio, and pretends that he’s all for the Policies of your Favorite President, Donald J. Trump, but then gets to the Senate and votes 100% for the horrendous Policies of Crooked Joe Biden, the worst President in the History of our Country,” Trump added.

Trump’s endorsement will likely give Moreno an advantage over other Republican primary candidates, including Frank LaRose, who serves as Ohio’s secretary of state, and state Sen. Matt Dolan.

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The winner of the March 19 GOP primary election will challenge Brown, who’s the only Democrat to win statewide in Ohio in the past decade. Brown will be heavily targeted by Republicans in a state that was once a premiere general election battleground but has shifted red over the past six years.

Moreno, an immigrant who arrived in the U.S. legally from Colombia with his family as a 5-year-old boy, made border security a top issue during his 2022 Senate campaign and visited the U.S.-Mexico border. He suspended his campaign in February last year.

Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom, Danielle Wallace and Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

Virginia Democrats who control the state Legislature are advancing legislation that aims to protect access to a wide range of contraception, something they say should not be taken for granted after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

Similar bills that would establish a right to obtain and use a detailed list of contraception approved by the federal government — including oral medications, intrauterine devices, condoms and the Plan-B morning-after pill — have cleared both the House of Delegates and the Senate. The legislation also creates a right to sue over violations of its provisions.

“I think the overturning of Roe was a first step on the assault on reproductive health care,” said Sen. Ghazala Hashmi of Chesterfield, the sponsor of one of the measures.

VIRGINIA DEMS ADVANCE BILL THROUGH SENATE TO PROVIDE TAXPAYER-BACKED HEALTH INSURANCE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

The court’s June 2022 majority opinion overturning the 1973 Roe decision said it applied only to abortion. But Hashmi noted conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ separate concurring opinion that said the court “should reconsider” other precedents, including decisions legalizing same-sex marriage, striking down laws criminalizing gay sex and establishing the right of married couples to use contraception.

“I didn’t hear any of his other conservative member justices challenge him on that. And so if he’s saying this, I think we ought to believe him,” Hashmi said.

Hashmi and Democratic Del. Cia Price of Newport News, the sponsor of the House bill, emphasized the importance of access to contraception not only for family planning but to prevent sexually transmitted infections and to help manage other medical conditions, including endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome.

Similar efforts have been made in other states around the country. Thirteen states had enacted some kind of legal protections for the right to contraception as of October and more were pending, according to research from KFF, a nonprofit that studies health care issues.

In Congress, a measure to enshrine the right to use contraceptives passed the House of Representatives in July 2022 but failed to advance in the Senate.

While Price’s version of the legislation picked up a handful of Republican votes on the House floor, the bills have been advancing largely along party lines. And they have drawn opposition from religious and socially conservative groups, who have raised a range of objections, particularly over the lack of an exemption for health care workers who may have a religious or moral objection to offering contraception.

The bill is “designed to restrict the conscience rights of medical providers,” said Jeff Caruso, executive director of the Virginia Catholic Conference.

Other opponents raised concerns that the bill was written broadly enough that it could protect access to abortifacient drugs.

Price said that’s unfounded, noting that the bill defines contraception as “an action taken to prevent pregnancy.” The definition also covers sterilization procedures.

“This is not a conversation about abortion,” she said in a committee hearing.

During discussion on the Senate floor, Sen. David Suetterlein of Roanoke, a Republican with an independent voting streak, said that while he supports the “spirit” of the legislation, he had concerns about creating an “affirmative legal right.”

“I think that we need to continue making sure that we expand contraceptive coverage and access. I think abortion is a tragedy, and I think one of the greatest things we can do to reduce the likelihood of those occurring is make sure that we have contraceptives available to people across this Commonwealth,” he said.

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The measures are supported by associations representing health care providers — the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American College of Nurse Midwives — along with the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia.

The bills are almost certain to reach final passage in the coming weeks. But it’s not clear how Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will act on them. Asked for comment, his press office said only that he will review all legislation that reaches his desk.

If Youngkin does not sign the legislation, “he’ll need to explain to Virginians why he thinks contraception ought not to be protected,” Hashmi said.

Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis set out to bring an unprecedented case against former president Donald Trump for interference in the 2020 election, but her allegedly “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade is overshadowing her efforts, and could get her disqualified. 

Wade was hired in 2022 to help prosecute the sweeping case against Trump and 18 other co-defendants on charges related to alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including racketeering, violating the oath of office, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, forgery and false statements.

Four co-defendants in the case alleged in subsequent court filings that Wade was romantically involved with Willis at the time he was hired and that she financially benefitted from his employment because of their relationship and lavish vacations they took together. 

Co-defendants have also alleged that Wade’s “lack of experience” prosecuting complex cases makes him “unqualified” to work the case and questioned why Willis hired him in the first place. 

GEORGIA DA FANI WILLIS WILL NOT TESTIFY FOR SECOND DAY ON ‘IMPROPER’ AFFAIR WITH NATHAN WADE

A John Marshall Law School graduate, Wade worked in private practice at his firm Wade & Campbell prior to his work with the Fulton County DA’s office.

“Whether you are in need of representation after a major car accident or are going through a change in your personal life that requires representation with a family law issue; whether you have a contract dispute, or whether you are involved in any type of civil litigation, Nathan J. Wade will be a zealous advocate for you,” his firm’s website reads. 

The New York Times reported that public records show “scant evidence” that he has prosecuted major criminal cases, with no evidence that he has handled a major political corruption case or one involving the state’s “complicated racketeering statute” under which all the defendants in the Trump case have been charged.

FANI WILLIS RAISES EYEBROWS WITH WINK ON THE STAND, LABELS FORMER LOVER NATHAN WADE A ‘SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN’

In 1999, Wade spent four months as an assistant solicitor in the Atlanta suburb of Cobb County. From 2011 to 2021, he was an associate municipal court judge in Marietta, Georgia, handling misdemeanor cases.

Wade ran for a seat on the bench of the Cobb County Superior Court three times between 2012 and 2016 but lost each time.

5 EXPLOSIVE MOMENTS FROM FANI WILLIS’ HEATED TESTIMONY IN TRUMP FULTON COUNTY CASE: ‘IF THIS HAPPENS AGAIN …’

Wade took the stand on Thursday during a tense court hearing to hash out evidence to allegations that Willis had financially benefitted from Wade’s employment. 

Both Willis and Wade testified that Wade had routinely paid for the trips and that Willis would reimburse him with cash. When repeatedly pressed about whether any records existed for her withdrawals of the funds, she said she was accustomed and taught by her father to keep six months of regular expenses on hand in cash.

Wade took the stand earlier in the hearing. Craig Gillen, attorney for Trump co-defendant David Shafer who also asked the court to disqualify Willis, questioned Wade earlier about Willis’ repayments to him for vacations that had been made in cash. 

Wade admitted that he did not have deposit slips or receipts to support his claims.

“You don’t have a single solitary deposit slip to corroborate or support any of your allegations that you were paid by Ms. Willis in cash, do you?” Gillen asked. 
“No, sir,” Wade said.

“Not a single solitary one,” Gillen pressed.

“Not a one.”

Willis, in her testimony, called Wade a “southern gentleman.” Willis said her relationship with Wade ended roughly last summer but that the two remain “very good friends” and are “probably closer than ever because of these attacks.”

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Both Willis and Wade insisted that their relationship started in 2022, after Wade was hired. But they contradict testimony from Robin Yeartie, a former “good friend” of Willis and past employee at the DA’s office. Yeartie said she had “no doubt” the Willis and Wade’s relationship started in 2019, after the two met at a conference. 

Yeartie testified to observing Willis and Wade “hugging” and “kissing” and showing “affection” prior to November 2021, and that she had no doubt that the two were in a “romantic” relationship starting in 2019, to when she and Willis last spoke in 2022. 

Willis dismissed Yeartie’s testimony and said she no longer considers Yeartie to be a friend. 

Day two of a hearing to hash out allegations that Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis had an “improper” affair with a colleague prosecuting the case against former President Trump is underway.

Though Willis was expected to take the stand again Friday, the after court convened, state prosecutors said they had no questions for Willis on cross examination, and she was not called back to the stand. 

On Thursday, Fulton County Superior Judge Scott McAfee presided over a marathon — and at some points, contentious — day of testimony in which lawyers for defendants in the case grilled witnesses in an attempt to show that Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade were romantically involved when Willis hired him, and that she financially benefited from the relationship. 

The courtroom hit a boiling point Thursday afternoon when Willis herself took the witness stand, after several attempts to avoid it, and was so combative that the judge had to step in multiple times to cool tensions.

EMBATTLED DA FANI WILLIS FACES 4TH ACCUSATION TO DISQUALIFY HER FROM THE TRUMP CASE

On Thursday, Willis’ former friend and colleague at the district attorney’s office, Robin Yeartie, dropped a bombshell when she testified that she had “no doubt” Willis and Wade had a “romantic” relationship starting in 2019, contradicting Willis’ prior statements to the court that their relationship began in 2022. Wade was hired in 2021. 

Wade, who took to the witness stand for hours on Thursday, revealed that he was battling cancer in 2020 and a portion of 2021, and told the court he was not dating anyone in 2021. 

Defense lawyers Ashleigh Merchant, Craig Gillen and Steve Stadow, who led the bulk of the questioning Thursday, are trying to prove the existence and extent of any financial benefit to Willis from Wade from their relationship, which is the crux of their argument that Willis should be disqualified. 

JUDGE WARNS FANI WILLIS OVER OUTBURSTS IN HEATED TESTIMONY

Much of Willis’ testimony focused on vacations she took with Wade, including Caribbean cruises and visiting wine country California. 

Both testified that Wade would routinely pay for the trips and Willis would reimburse him with cash. When repeatedly pressed about whether any records existed for her withdrawals of the funds, she said she was accustomed and taught by her father to keep six months of regular expenses on hand in cash.

Wade admitted that he did not have deposit slips or receipts to support his claims that Willis reimbursed him with cash. 

Four co-defendants in the sprawling case against Trump for alleged election interference filed motions earlier this year moving for Willis and her team to be disqualified. 

FANI WILLIS RAISES EYEBROWS WITH WINK ON THE STAND, LABELS FORMER LOVER NATHAN WADE A ‘SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN’

Judge McAfee said that “it’s clear that disqualification can occur if evidence is produced demonstrating an actual conflict or the appearance of one.” 

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“The state has admitted a relationship existed. And so, what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit,” McAfee said.

The defense team say they have two more witnesses to call up Friday. McAfee indicated he would not rule from the bench after what is expected to be at least five hours of testimony.