A TALE OF TWO CASES — Former President DONALD TRUMP’s encroaching legal threats played out in two overlapping hearings today — one in Manhattan, the other in Atlanta. In New York … Trump was present in the Manhattan courtroom where Judge JUAN MERCHAN rejected his push to dismiss his hush-money case and ordered jury selection for a trial to begin on March 25 — 39 days away. Marchan’s ruling makes the case the first of the four criminal prosecutions against Trump to proceed to trial and could have massive consequences for Trump’s campaign: “The schedule means Trump will spend weeks in court instead of on the campaign trail as pivots to a general election against President JOE BIDEN,” Erica Orden reports. A refresher: Trump previously pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to payments made to adult film star STORMY DANIELS during his 2016 presidential campaign. Outside of the courtroom this morning, Trump criticized the prosecution, saying "this is not a crime” and repeating his claims that the case amounted to “election interference.” He added that he would “campaign in the evenings” as the trial proceeds: “This is just a way of hurting me in the election because I’m leading by a lot.” After rigorously objecting to the March trial date, Trump lawyer TODD BLANCHE engaged in a heated exchange with the judge on the timing of the case that prompted Merchan to snap at the lawyer, “Stop interrupting me.” Blanche went on to further question the judge on jury selection and other logistics of the trial before reiterating his issues with the schedule: “The fact that President Trump is going to now spend the next two months working on this trial instead of out on the campaign trail running for president — it should not happen in this country,” he said. And in Georgia … things managed to get even spicier. There, Fulton County Judge SCOTT McAFEE is tasked with evaluating whether Fulton District Attorney FANI WILLIS' personal relationship with her top Trump prosecutor, NATHAN WADE, should result in her removal from Trump’s Georgia election interference case. After getting off to a chaotic start, the debate of the timeline of Wade and Willis relationship took center stage after a former friend of Willis’, ROBIN YEARTIE testified via Zoom that “the district attorney began dating Wade in 2019, long before the investigation began,” Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein report. “The sworn testimony from Yeartie, who had a falling out with Willis two years ago, contradicts Willis’ claim — made in her own court filings this month — that her personal relationship with Wade began in 2022, after the probe began and after she had hired Wade to work under contract with her office. … Yeartie’s testimony is the first time a witness has publicly undercut Willis’ claim about the timing of her relationship with Wade.” Wade then went on the stand to confirm Willis’ timeline, testifying that their relationship began in 2022 and included trips together in 2022 and 2023. Addressing a crucial question that could establish whether Willis created a financial conflict in hiring her lover, Wade insisted Willis paid him back for the trips — in (untraceable) cash. Needless to say, Willis has a lot on the line. Should McAfee decide the relationship constitute a conflict of interest, Willis’ entire office would effectively be removed from the case, NYT’s Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim report: “The case would then be reassigned to another Georgia prosecutor, who would have the ability to continue with the case exactly as it is, make major changes — such as adding or dropping charges or defendants — or to even drop the case altogether.” Follow along with the Atlanta Journal Constitution Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at birvine@politico.com.
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