Donald Trump‘s lawyers, in a court filing, requested the disqualification of a Manhattan judge overseeing the hush money case against the ex-president, citing bias and a potential conflict of interest.
What Happened: The judge, Juan Merchan, has an "actual or perceived conflict of interest" because his daughter works for a digital agency, Authentic, which has many Democratic officials as clients, Trump's lawyers said as per papers publicly on Friday.
The lawyers also contended that Merchan had a “preconceived bias” by encouraging Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of the Trump Organization, to cooperate against the ex-president in a previous case. They pointed out that Weisselberg pleaded guilty to tax fraud charges last year, which were filed against him and the Trump Organization, and that Merchan oversaw the trial.
"This case before this Court is historic, and it is important that the People of the State of New York and this nation have confidence that the jurist who presides over it is impartial. Most respectfully, the foregoing facts compel the conclusion that Your Honor is not and thus should recuse," Trump’s lawyers Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche wrote in the filing.
See Also: Democrats Will ‘Weaponize’ GOP Division In Presidential Election, Warns Tim Scott
Trump’s lawyers have also demanded that that judge publicly declare his political contributions made during the 2020 presidential campaign. According to Federal Election Commission records, Merchan made three contributions through ActBlue, donating $15 to President Joe Biden‘s campaign, $10 to the Progressive Turnout Project, and $10 to Stop Republicans.
Why It Matters: In April, the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records related to an alleged scheme during the 2016 presidential campaign aimed at paying hush money to cover up accusations of extramarital affairs. The indictment, filed by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, marked the first time a former president has faced criminal charges.
A trial in the case is scheduled for March 2024. Meanwhile, Trump continues to deny the allegations and has said that the case against him is politically motivated.
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