FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis reportedly pulled out $400 in cash after tasting wine at a Napa Valley estate with a special prosecutor in Georgia's election interference case, CNN reports.
The news organization interviewed an estate ambassador for Acumen Wines named Stan Brody. He told CNN that he hosted Willis and her guest at the location in early 2023. He later discovered the guest to be Nathan Wade.
According to Brody, Willis used the $400 to pay for two bottles of wine. Each bottle cost roughly $150, and the tasting cost $50, he said.
Brody told CNN that it shocked him when the district attorney paid using cash, as those types of sales are rare in Napa Valley. He also said that Willis and Wade testifying last week in the disqualification hearing jogged his memory about the transaction.
The hearing was to decide if Willis should be disqualified from the Georgia 2020 election RICO case involving former President Donald Trump and alleged co-conspirators. Since the Aug. 2023 indictment, Willis has admitted to having a past romantic relationship with Wade -- who is a special prosecutor in the case.
There is no statute that states it's illegal to have a relationship with an appointee, according to the Prosecuting Attorney's Council of Georgia. However, the focus of the disqualification hearing centers more on accusations made by the attorney for Trump's codefendant, Mike Roman.
Roman and eight others seek to have Willis removed because they allege she financially benefited from the relationship. They also allege that Wade used money he received from the case to pay for vacations he took with Willis.
That said, Brody's recollection about Willis paying cash supports testimony she gave last week on how she always pays in cash when she travels. Willis also stated that both of them would pay for items at different times as money was never a focus of their relationship.
“We would have brutal arguments about the fact that I am your equal. I don’t need anything from a man, a man is not a plan. A man is a companion, and so there was tension always in our relationship, which is why I would give him his money back," Willis said. "I don’t need anybody to foot my bills. The only man who would foot my bills completely is my daddy."
In general, Willis testified that they took three trips together. She said she reimbursed him for two, and she paid for one outright.
In terms of the Napa Valley trip, Willis said on the stand that Wade paid for both the plane tickets and the hotel. She estimated that she gave him less cash that time and that it was probably between $400 and $500 dollars.
According to CNN, Brody said he has not talked to the district attorney's office or the defense counsel that is seeking to disqualify Willis from the case. The district attorney's office also declined to comment to CNN, the news organization reported.