Fani Willis faces two new hurdles to prosecute Trump as new primary challengers launch campaign to become Fulton County DA - including Republican lawyer who worked under former president in the White House

The lawyer prosecuting Donald Trump and 18 of his cronies for allegedly trying to steal the election in Georgia has yet another hurdle to clear.

Scandal-plagued Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could already be kicked off the case for her relationship with a lawyer she hired to help run it.

Now she could lose her job entirely as two Atlanta lawyers are challenged her for DA hours before the filing deadline. 

Republican Courtney Kramer, who worked under Trump in the White House, and Democrat Christian Wise Smith threw their hats in the ring on Friday.

Scandal-plagued Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis could already be kicked off the case for her relationship with a lawyer she hired to help run it (pictured in hearings this week)

The two highest vote-getters at the primary on May 21, regardless of party, will face off in a runoff in November, so Fani will have to campaign right away.

Kramer has an uphill battle in the deeply Democratic county, and Smith unsuccessfully ran against Willis when she was elected in 2020.

Fani has spent the past week in court defending herself against efforts to boot her off the Trump case over her relationship with Nathan Wade.

Her opponents accused her of a conflict of interest in hiring her lover, who is going through divorce proceedings, as a well-paid special prosecutor.

Defense lawyers claimed Willis was being untruthful about when her relationship with Wade began. Both Willis and Wade testified it started in 2022, after Willis already brought him onto the case.

Fani denied the relationship was improper, and is waiting for Judge Scott McAfee's decision in the next two weeks on whether she will be disqualified from the case.

If she is booted from the case, it could delay Trump's Georgia election fraud case for months and could even lead to the charges being dropped. 

Willis slammed the proceeding while speaking to reporters outside the state Capitol, where she called it a 'political quest.' 

'People are angry because I'm going to do the right thing and stand up for justice,' she said. 'They can continue their games and I'll continue to do the work of the people.'

Democrat Christian Wise Smith on Friday filed to challenge Willis in the May 21 primary for Fulton County district attorney

Republican Courtney Kramer, who worked under Trump in the White House, is also challenging but faces an uphill battle in the deeply Democratic county

Defense lawyers said bombshell texts proved she lied about when she started dating Wade and accused her of playing the 'race card' when she said the allegations against her with politically motivated.

Lawyers kicked off closing arguments on Friday after a series of blockbuster court sessions where Willis testified there was nothing improper about her relationship with Wade and defended paying for their lavish trips abroad in cash. 

Smith implied his candidacy may be more of a contingency against Fani being kicked off the Trump case.

'I'll reserve my comments [about her current situation] until after we know more,' he told CNN.

'Then we will decide if we go full steam ahead with this campaign after the decision. Today was the final day to qualify. Right now, we're just dotting our Is and crossing our Ts.'

Georgia Democratic leaders are concerned Willis could be kicked off the case, and have appeared in court to support her through the hearings. 

Ashley Merchant, the lawyer defending Trump's co-accused Michael Roman, first came forward to expose Willis' relationship with Wade.

She claimed in explosive testimony that Wills paid Wade almost double the salary of his colleagues and met Kamala Harris before she indicted Donald Trump.

Merchant also testified to a Georgia state Senate hearing as a judge considered whether to disqualify Willis from the Trump case.

She said Wade got more than $650,000 in billing from Willis and left little information in his invoices, and that Willis 'is the one that approves the bills.'

She also testified about the 12,000 text messages Wade and Willis exchanged before they claim they started their relationship.

Wade was also in the court as he watched lawyers from the Fulton County district attorney argue she shouldn't be kicked off the case over their relationship

Willis (left) and her former boyfriend Wade (right) sit at the prosecutor's table during closing arguments for her disqualification hearing on March 1

Merchant on Wednesday sketched out her theory that Willis and Wade deliberately brought a complex case that allowed for Wade to bill more hours and potentially benefit himself and Wade.

She then faced questions about why Willis, who earns a salary of more than $200,000 per year, would engage in the elaborate scheme in exchange for vacations and travel valued at several thousands. 

Trump's lawyer Stephen Sadow claimed Willis was playing the 'race and religion card' in an effort to influence the jury pool who would hear conspiracy charges against him in Georgia.

He accuses Willis of 'unforgivable' conduct in a new legal filing, after homing in during explosive hearings on Willis' speech to an Atlanta church on Martin Luther King Jr weekend. 

He accused her of 'wantonly playing both the 'race and religion card' and accused her of unfairly attacking lawyers for Trump and his codefendants.

Trump and 18 co-defendants were charged on August 15 with an alleged racketeering 'criminal enterprise' to overturn the election.