Flute important. Thanks very much for watching. I will flutter in the situation room. The news continues next on cnn id front next back in Court Finding Willis making a Surprise Appearance in georgia courtroom where trumps allies are doing everything they can to get her kicked off trumps Election Interference Case and decision tonight. Rest with the judge who could announce his decision at any time. Will be removed. Willis possibly end that case. Plus thousands of russians from all over the country bravely turning out for Alexei Navalny sputum snipers watched from nearby. And Russian State Television totally ignored all of this exclusive guess. The director of the oscar winning ill give it to the fbi. Is it from china . Lets go out front and good evening. Im Erin Burnett Out Front tonight. Bonnie willis back in the courtroom, the Fulton CountyDistrict Attorney, making a Surprise Appearance as trump allies were making their closing the arguments tried to get her kicked off. The Election Interference Case in a heated hearing. Willis, his lawyers accused trumps team of harassment and embarrassment of expedition to get her removed from the case because of allegations that her relationship with the top prosecutor created a Conflict Of Interest and misused taxpayer money i want to make clear to the court and that i did the law in georgia suggest and is very clear that we can demonstrate an appearance of a Conflict Of Interest, and that is sufficient once you have the appearance of impropriety under forensic misconduct, the law in georgia is clear. Thats enough. To disqualify well, thats the trump argument. Williss lawyers, though pushed back and they did it aggressively accusing trumps allies of twisting the facts the defense has to show an actual conflict. And in this instance, they have to show the actual conflict would be that ms willis received a financial benefit or game and did it based our got it. Based upon the outcome of the case. He doesnt make any sense. Now, to say the stakes are high is a serious understatement in this case, right. Willis, this case against trump could collapse if shes disqualified a new prosecutor could change the charges, dropped them entirely, or take a lot of time to get up to speed that is why willis walked into that room today and tonight. It is anybodys guess as to how the judge in the case will decide it is a crucial decision. And Nick Valencia is outfront. He is live outside the courthouse in atlanta. And nick, how is the District Attorneys team williss team feeling about her chances to stay on this case . Well erin those close to her, tell me that fani willis doesnt think Defense Attorneys for the former president and his allies reached the threshold to disqualify her, but washing her attorney argue it was clear that he got bogged down in the legal weeds and technicalities and i have to tell you from where i was sitting during some of those arguments. It was clear but the judge seemed incredulous these people, your honor, is a systematic misconduct and they need to go one after another. I think, you know what, when you see it, Defense Attorneys pushed for Fulton CountyDistrict Attorney fani willis to be disqualified from former president Donald TrumpsGeorgia Election subversion case. If this court allows this kind of behavior to go on the entire Public Confidence in the system will be shot. Willis is arrival during a short break in the hearing, took the courtroom by surprise. She nodded and rock back and forth her chair as the state argued why she should stay on the Racketeering Case. A mere fishing expedition. The defense claimed willis and the cases special prosecutor, nathan wade, started dating before she hired him for the job. She put her boyfriend in the spot, paid him, and then reap the benefits from it, and that she benefited through meals and lavish trips he paid for know, shes received a personal financial benefit of over 9,200 in this case that she cant account for. The lead attorney defending willis said she paid wade back in full, arguing this has been an effort to harass and embarrass willis an actual conflict has not been shown. And more importantly, all right . In conjunction with that, there has been absolutely no evidence that the District Attorney has benefitted financially at all. Willis sitting at the prosecutors table, just feet from her attorney as the judge questions several of his arguments for why theres no grounds to disqualify the da. There is a relationship and that money is changed hands theres maybe still an open question of where the ledger stands. But i think it was conceded that that balance could run in one way or the District Attorneys favor is that contested yes. Whats whats not contested . Is that our relationship did develop last month. Willis testified she started dating wade after she hired him and denied any impropriety. These people are on trial for trying to steal an election in 2020. Im not on trial no matter how hard you try to put me on trial, willis has asked multiple times to bring trumps Racketeering Case to trial as soon as possible. And the hopes of settling it before for the president ial election. But for now, the weight continues. That was hoped to have an answer for everyone within the next two weeks and so now we wait for judge scott mcafee, who as you heard there, said that hes going to have his order in the next two weeks. He did tell the court that hes going to have to get through some legal issues, make some facts she will determinations. But it is going to take time ultimately, though, aaron, hes going to have to decide what is the threshold for disqualification. Is it an actual Conflict Of Interests or simply the appearance of one aaron . All right. Nic, thank you very much. And outfront now, ryan goodman, outfront legal analyst, michael isikoff, who has spent extensive time with willis this n her team for his new book, find me the votes. A hard charging georgia prosecutor or rogue president , and the plot to steal an american election. And van jones, former special adviser to president obama, ryan, i hope to have an answer in the next two weeks. I cant really find the word quickly of had to describe the look on his face but here we are. You have said repeatedly that if fani willis is disqualified, the case could be in major jeopardy for several reasons, right . Which way do you think the judge is leaning . It seems as though the judge is leaning not towards disqualification and leaving it instead to a question of discipline for other authorities to determine bar or whatever. Yeah. And that therell be other consequences for the da, but not taking her off the case necessarily, at least not by him. And it looks as though thats partly because theres not really a strong presentation that there was a Conflict Of Interest thats one of the pieces that in some sense when unrebutted by the prosecutors side, quick follow, not by him or someone else who could take her off. And when how would that play out . So it would probably play out over the next several months in which she would be investigated by ethics oversight boards, and commissions. And there are also theres a new commission thats about to be empowered in all likelihood by the legislature in georgia they could come down on all sorts of questions and not just about Conflict Of Interests including whether or not she was truthful on the stand so this doesnt go away even if she remains on think theres a cloud over her now for several months. All right that that is ominous even if it does continue. And but michael, i mean, in that room, the judge did seem to rattle the lawyer for willis office. You could see that in the way he theres sometimes sort of stumbling and then willis walked up as i just showed you there, handed him notes during his presentation and you heard Nick Valencia saying at one point, the judge seemed incredulous at the arguments being made by the lawyer. The da tells Nick Valencia she was not pleased with his approach and thought she was going to stand up and Say Something herself. Okay. You know, these individuals, what is your read on what happened in that court . From the reaction i am totally sure that fani willis was itching to get up there and argue her case before the judge especially because mr. A. Body was stumbling a bit. Look, judge mcafee has has earned a reputation for being pretty easy. Even handed throughout this. And i think he showed that today in his sort of evenhanded skeptical questions for both sides during the when the lawyers for the trump defendants were making these assertions about how willis had a personal interest in the case and that the evidence joes that they began the relationship before they testified to before she hired nathan wade the judge was a bit skeptical. He said, whats the personal interests when they when they kept bringing up terrence bradleys Text Messages, he pointed out theres nothing in that text knows Text Messages that say how he knows where when the relationship began and any other details about it. And he pointed out that ashleigh merchant, the lawyer, didnt lock him in, didnt go sit down and probe for the answers to those questions and get affidavit. But at the same time when andrew body, the lawyer for the das office, got up there and the questions came about the state of the law and whether its actual conference conflict or an appearance of conflict he mccabe pushed back on the argument that appearance was not an appropriate standard, and i think thats where this ball is right now. Its not an actual conflict the Trump Lawyers havent proven that by any means. But if its an appearance which is kind of a looseygoosey standard. It just looks bad. Then fani willis could be in trouble and to that point, Van Appearance of a conflict versus an actual conflict. That is really what this is about. Actually beyond that courtroom. The Public Perception, even if the case goes ahead, what is now the Public Perception . Well, its unfortunate. I mean, this is the case that people felt strongly about. They thought it was strong, they thought she was strong, and also, even if trump becomes president , he cant make it go away because the state case and so the fact that people went digging around in the garbage can and found some stuff and now theyre throwing it on her and say now youre dirty. Thats the way the game gets played unfortunately. But i think the judge has to make a really strong decision because first of all, highly consequential for the country. Yeah, second of all, its not its not clear. Its not clear to me that the level that the Conflict Of Interest is not shes got some extra reason because its relationship to go after donald trump its what is the Conflict Of Interests about, and thats where i think hes got to whether we served pretty damaging to a relationship. If youre in it in your hiring someone as a favor and then youve tried to hire someone else and someone else after that and someone else after that, then finally you settle on the guy youre dating. I mean, thats thats what it would be. So that is some perspective, ryan. But to that point, you have said that the Cell Phone Data that was obtained by a private investigator hired by the trump team is what could be the most damaging. It shows a 35 occasions in which his phone was hitting a cell tower near where she lived in the wee hours the morning, i suppose in 2021, thats obviously before she hired wade and is also before they said the relationship began willis, his lawyer said that this doesnt indicate anything about whether they were dating. Heres how well, i think thats the point i would say, yes, that is the point he referenced that thats an area that he was not uncommon for him to be in. Ms willis and mr. Wade never denied that he had been to that condo before the, specific testimony that was elicited by ms willis and mr. Wade was that he never he had never laid his head. Was the direct quote at at that condo, which these records dont prove that he laid his head anywhere . Willis seem to be smiling as he was making that argument what did you think about it i thought there was a pretty awful place to be blunt. Yeah. Yeah. For a lawyer to be to be saying, hey, look he only said he didnt lay his head there but yes, they might be evidenced that he was there for several hours in the middle of the night from like 12, 30 as he left before the morning . Yeah. So that is not where you want to be and some sense, even if something is technically true. And yeah, im sure its technically true that he didnt lay his head there that is not where you want to be there could still be alive because youve misled everybody by saying im suggesting were there overnight right. And thats what this Cell Phone Evidence is strongly indicative of. An havent really rebutted that. Right. And the Text Messages as well, i mean, i didnt mention those, but the thousands of those all right. Thanks very much to all of you can catch more by the way, of van on this sundays the whole story he travels to his home state of tennessee to explore how the states politics have transformed ahead of Super Tuesday and van airs at eight and outfront next, trump also back in court today, trying to delay the start of his classified documents case. But why are his lawyers now pushing for an august trial date . That could lead to a verdict well before the election how come . Well, the former Trump White House lawyer, ty cobb, will be x plus incredible images of bravery tonight. Thousands risking their lives to turn out for Alexey Navalnys funeral investigative journalist christo grozev, an Oscar Awardwinning director of the film navalny. 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