Trump wants Fani Willis kicked off his Georgia case. A judge said a hearing ‘must occur’

A sprawling election interference case against Donald Trump is set to veer into the private and professional life of the woman leading the prosecution against him during a hearing in an Atlanta courtroom this week.

And the former president reportedly plans to be there to see it.

The Georgia judge overseeing the case against the former president and more than a dozen others will preside over a misconduct hearing on Thursday scrutinising allegations against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.

Ms Willis and prosecutor Nathan Wade could be called to testify after one of the former president’s co-defendants alleged that the attorneys financially benefited from the vast RICO case through their “personal, romantic relationship” with each other.

If stood up in court, accusations levelled against Ms Willis and the chief prosecutor she hired to lead the case could result in her disqualification.

Ms Willis and Mr Wade have already admitted to their relationship but have firmly rejected the “meritless” and “salacious” allegations as “bad-faith” attempts to see her struck off the case that Mr Trump has baselessly labelled a conspiracy against him.

In court on Monday, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Scott McAfee said that a hearing on the matter “must occur”.

Judge McAfee said the relationship is “no longer a matter of complete speculation,” but “what remains to be proven is the existence and extent of any financial benefit, if there even was one”.

“Because I think it’s possible that the facts alleged by the defendant could result in disqualification, I think an evidentiary hearing must occur to establish the record on those core allegations,” he said.

Now, a hearing beginning on 15 February and expected to last two days