Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis opted not to take the stand Friday after hours of questioning one day prior in a hearing examining her relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor leading the Georgia election case against former President Donald Trump and 18 others.

Willis said Thursday that she "ran" to the courtroom and demanded she be able to testify after Wade, and accused Ashely Merchant, the defense attorney for co-defendant Mike Roman who is leading the effort to remove her, of lying. She also condemned media coverage of the allegations against her.

"I listened to the argument this morning, where did an excellent job pointing out how dishonest you were with the court on Monday, and I'm actually surprised that the hearing continued," Willis said. But since it did, here I am."

"It seems today, a lawyer writes a lie and then it's printed to all the world to see," she said, later adding: "It's highly offensive when someone lies on you."

Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee is holding an evidentiary hearing on allegations by one of the co-defendants in the case, Mike Roman, that Willis and Wade had been involved in an improper relationship that began before Wade was hired November 2021. Roman’s attorneys also claim Willis improperly benefited from paying Wade $650,000 in fees when he treated her to vacations.

Willis maintained she Wade back for trips, in cash, detailing that "for many, many years I have kept money in my house."

"As a woman," she said, recalling advice from her father. "you should have at least six months in cash at your house at all times."

"I don't know why this old Black man feels like that, but he does," she continued.

She also insisted she split costs often with Wade.

"A man is not a plan," Willis told Trump defense attorney Steve Sadow. "A man is a companion ... I don't need anyone to foot my bills. The only man who has ever footed my bills completely is my daddy."

Roman’s attorneys are seeking to have Willis and Wade disqualified from the case and have the charges against their client dismissed. Lawyers for Trump and several other co-defendants have joined the motion and were also present at the hearing.

Willis repeatedly traded barbs with Merchant throughout her testimony, telling the defense attorney: "You lied!"

"You're confused," Wade said. "You think I'm on trial. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. I'm not on trial, no matter how hard you try to put me on trial."

At one point, Judge McAfee urged both parties to behave: "I advise everyone, this being a room mostly full of lawyers, I urge everyone to keep those principles in line and not talk over each other."

"I have to caution that we have to listen to the questions and if this happens again and again, I’m gonna have no choice but to strike your testimony," he said to Willis after a heated exchange.

Willis' testimony comes after a former friend and employee of her's testified that the prosecutor's romantic relationship with Wade began earlier than he claims.

Wade stated in an affidavit — and again Thursday under questioning — that his relationship with Willis did not begin until early 2022. She testified on Thursday afternoon that their romantic relationship ended in summer of last year, but still considers him a friend.

But earlier, Robin Yeartie, who worked in the Willis DA’s office and described herself as once being a “good” friend of Willis’, said she had “no doubt” the romantic relationship began in 2019, shortly after Willis and Wade met at a judicial conference, and continued at least until March 2022, when Willis and Yeartie last spoke after Yeartie’s employment ended on unpleasant terms.

Yeartie, testifying via a Zoom link, said she based her assessment of the relationship on her personal observations and conversations with the couple.

But Wade testified that after he and Willis met in November 2019, they only spoke a few times by phone the following year about professional matters. The conversations gradually became more frequent over the years until they began their romantic relationship in early 2022, he said.

While Wade often paid for their travel on his credit cards, he insisted Willis always repaid him. He said the reimbursements were either paid in cash or by picking up the tab for, for example, excursions in Napa Valley. He has produced a receipt for only one flight that Willis paid for on her own credit card.

“If you've ever spent any time with Miss Willis, you understand that she's a very independent, proud woman,” Wade testified. “So she's going to insist that she carries her own weight. It actually was a point of contention between the two of us. She is going to pay her own way.”

Merchant also pressed Wade on how much Fulton County has paid Wade. She asked if it was true that he was paid $300,000 in 2022, noting he had told another judge he made just $9,500 a month. 

Wade explained that he has a partnership with two other law firms and that revenue is divided evenly among them. After the money was divvied up and expenses were deducted, he said his monthly earnings were indeed about $9,500.

But Merchant later noted the firms of Wade’s two partners also have contracts with Fulton County, creating additional revenue of which he received a portion.

Anna Cross, the lawyer for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, seemed to try to paint Yeartie as a disgruntled ex-employee who was cited for poor performance, was confronted with a choice of whether to resign or be fired, and has not spoken to Willis since she stepped down.

Willis has also been subpoenaed for the hearing.

Roman is a former Trump campaign staffer and onetime White House aide who is accused of trying to organize slates of so-called fake electors in battleground states in an attempt to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. Roman has been charged with seven counts, including racketeering conspiracy and conspiracies to commit forgery, to impersonate a public officer, to commit false statements, and to file false documents. He has pleaded not guilty.