4:52 p.m. — Jurors dismissed. Ellis will retake stand Friday under cross-examination by D.A. James.
4:44 p.m. — James askes Ellis about conversations in which he asked the county to pay vendors so they could pay him campaign donations. Ellis counters that political contributions had nothing to do with it, that he was fulfilling his responsibility to make sure vendors were paid on a timely basis.
4:28 p.m. — Ellis, while soliciting funds from a vendor who didn't get a contract, is heard on tape asking chief purchasing officer Kelvin Walton to call the vendor. "He said he was going to help me but he says they weren't awarded the new contract for janitorial services," Ellis is heard telling Walton. Ellis said he was acting on information provided by the vendor that the competitor who was awarded the contract had a "bad repution," refuting allegation of quid pro quo.
3:57 p.m. — James to Ellis: "You're talking about changing the procurement policy in DeKalb County" because they didn't donate to your campaign. Ellis finally acknowledged that was partly true but added there were additional reasons for the change.
3:21 p.m. — James to Ellis: "You used county employees, on county time, being paid by taxpayers, to force (vendor) to come to your office about something that happened on a personal phone call?" Ellis said vendors were "not forced" to come to his office and they were unaware of the purpose of the meeting. He convened it, he said, because he was "hung up on and lied to."
3:15 p.m. — James notes that calls were personal, for campaign, but when they didn't respond, "You bring them into your office." Ellis said he has a duty to his constituents to explore bad customer service by a vendor: "I believe I have a duty to investigate it further." Ellis testified that duty includes weeding out those who don't return phone calls or are "rude," just as he would do if he found out someone was a terrorist.
3:07 p.m. — James presses Ellis on his assertion that, "People (vendors) don't have to call me back," writing it out on a sketchpad behind the defendant. Later, James adds to the sketchpad, "Vendors knew why calling."
2:50 p.m. — DeKalb D.A. Robert James begins cross-examination of Ellis.
2:29 p.m. — Defense concludes questioning, for now. Asked by defense attorney Craig Gillen, who reads each of the charges aloud, if he is guilty or not guilty. Ellis responds resolutely to each: "I am not guilty of those charges."
2:21 p.m. — Ellis, from his grand jury testimony: "I would never order someone's contract be terminated, or not renewed, because of their decision to support another candidate (or) to give or not give." Later, in live testimony, Ellis said he relies on department heads to decide whether a contract should be signed or canceled.
1:40 p.m. — We're back, but not live. Footage of Ellis' grand jury testimony being played for jurors.
12:31 p.m. — Court breaks for lunch. Ellis will return to the stand at 1:30 pm.
11:02 a.m — Ellis reiterates he doesn't see "anythng wrong" with using list of vendors to raise campaign funds.
9:52 a.m. — Returning to a theme from Wednesday's testimony, Ellis said he was concerned with the conduct of vendors who refused to return his calls soliciting for donations. Those who declined to contribute directly were left alone, he says.
9:39 a.m. — Defense plays covert recording of Ellis discussing which government employees making more than $100,000 had donated to his campaign. One of those who had not, county attorney Lisa Chang, was still in line for a promotion, Ellis testifies.
9:13 a.m. — DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis returns to the stand Thursday to testify in his own defense as his corruption trial nears completion.
Ellis is accused of shaking down county contractors for political donations during his 2012 re-election campaign. He is expected to be questioned by prosecutors and court observers anticipate some heated exchanges between the suspended chief executive and DeKalb District Attorney Robert James.
Ellis has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, theft, extortion and perjury.
On Wednesday, he defended his interactions with vendors, saying he never retaliated against county contractors who refused to give campaign donations.
Ellis explained that he didn’t care about the the political contributions but was concerned about poor customer service from vendors.
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