4:38 p.m. — Judge recesses early. The defense wil continue its questioning of Ellis starting Thursday morning with closing arguments possible on Monday.
3:53 p.m. — Ellis said he arranged meeting with one vendor not because he was trying to raise money but because they were rude when he solicited donations: "The purpose of the meeting was the failure to return phone calls and the hang up."
3:24 p.m. — Judge offers stern warning to defense: "I'm not going to allow this case to turn into a circus." She warns defense that Ellis needs to start answering the questions asked instead of supplying his own narrative.
2:36 p.m. — Ellis, on tape: "I'm about to bring on some good strong brothers into this government, where maybe I had white people in place before." He explains: "I went out looking for the best people. A number of talented African-Americans happened to stand out.
2:29 p.m. — Ellis claims he wanted to give vendors credit not for contributing to his campaign but for providing financial assistance for DeKalb events, such as State of the County address and employee picnic. "Points" would go to vendors who were "good partners," Ellis testified.
2:16 p.m. — Ellis reiterates: "I never asked anything in exchange for a campaign contribution. I never promised anything."
1:59 p.m. — Testimony turns to Ellis' dealings with Ciber, one of the companies he's alleged to have threatened to pull DeKalb business from if they didn't contribute to his campaign. Ellis said he was told Ciber wouldn't donate until they learned whether they would receive a government contract. "Had I known they had an active (bid) out I wouldn't have called for contribution," he said, adding he made no threats against Ciber. "I did not threaten their ability to do business with DeKalb County."
1:42 p.m. — Ellis back on stand, says Walton offered to help him raise money for his re-election campaign.
12:24 p.m. — Defense attempts to paint Ellis as a delegator, over objections by the prosecution. In arguing the relevance of his line of questioning, defense attorney Craig Gillen said it shows Ellis was "pushing power away, rather than bringing it it."
11:57 a.m. — Asked how he raised money for his political campaigns, Ellis testified, "I built a network of family and friends. … You start making phone calls to those folks. You reach out to people you know, and ask them to reach out to people they know. You ask people to contribute. You have to ask."
11:39 a.m. — Burrell Ellis takes the stand. Prosecution objects repeatedly to defense attempts to elicit biographi
cal information from defendant. Ellis addresses jurors directly when answering each question.
11:21 a.m. — Attorney Philippa Ellis, wife of the defendant, takes the stand. The relationship between her husband and Walton was a "jovial frat brother kind of thing."
11:02 a.m. — Defense announces Ellis will be called shortly, following one more witness whose testimony is expected to be brief.
10:33 a.m. — Stogner said he felt no pressure to donate to Ellis' campaign.
10:25 a.m. — Stogner, asked by prosecutors for his opinion on purchasing officer Walton: "I trusted him. I think he's truthful." Later, on re-direct, Stogner testified he also trusted Ellis and said he "did not know" Walton had taken money from vendors.
10:09 a.m. — Former DeKalb Chief Administrative Adviser Richard Stogner called by the defense, testifies it's not unusual for CEO, commissioners to meet with vendors.
9:20 a.m. — Karen Williams, a scheduler for CEO Ellis, testifies that suspended DeKalb puchasing officer Kelvin Walton and her boss had a "friendly" relationship. When asked if she worked in a "climate of fear," Williams replied, "Yes, with other co-workers. We had several bullies in the office. (Ellis) never bullied me."
9:15 a.m. — Former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young takes the stand as a character witness on Ellis' behalf. His testimony is brief: "(Ellis') reputation has been very good."
9:02 a.m. — DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis prepared to testify in his own defense as his corruption trial continued Wednesday.
Ellis has told the judge in the case that he plans to take the stand, but his legal team hasn’t said when he would be called as a witness.
After the prosecution rested its case Tuesday, defense attorneys used several character witnesses to show that Ellis had a reputation for honesty and truthfulness. Those witnesses included U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson and former DeKalb Board of Education Chairman Eugene Walker.
Ellis is accused of shaking down county contractors for political donations during his 2012 re-election campaign.
He has pleaded not guilty to charges of bribery, theft, extortion and perjury.
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