Donald Trump's Legal Team Again Argues For Judge's Recusal In High-Profile Hush Money Case

Just days before his hush-money criminal trial commences, former President Donald Trump is insisting on a new judge, revisiting his past grievances with the current judge.

Trump is making a renewed effort to have Justice Juan Merchan recuse himself from the hush money trial, citing the digital marketing work done for Democrats by the judge's daughter.

This trial, set to commence on April 15, marks Trump's first foray into criminal proceedings, with allegations centered on a 2016 payment made to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels. 

Trump's legal team has argued that Merchan's daughter, Loren, who works for the digital agency Authentic, represents a conflict of interest since her firm counts President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris among its clients. The team claims the firm's representation directly profits from opposing Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying business records related to the payment, reported the Associated Press. 

The motion for recusal, a 37-page document submitted by Trump's attorneys, highlights potential improprieties due to the judge's family connections and the political use of the case in fundraising efforts by Democrats.

Also Read: Donald Trump Outmaneuvered Manhattan DA By Gaining Access To Michael Cohen's Emails. Here's What Will Happen Next.

Despite a prior rejection of a similar recusal motion last year — which also pointed to small donations Merchan made to Democratic campaigns — Trump's lawyers are pressing the issue anew.

They suggested that, regardless of legal mandates, the judge's involvement might still pose an "appearance of impropriety" warranting recusal for judicial integrity.

Meanwhile, on Friday, Merchan barred Trump’s legal team from compelling NBC to furnish it with materials linked to its recent documentary concerning Daniels, a pivotal prosecution witness.

He deemed the defense's subpoena "the epitome of a fishing expedition" and found it lacking in meeting the legal threshold for mandating a news outlet to disclose its records and documents.

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This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.