(NationalUSNews.com) — District Attorney Alvin Bragg recently accused Trump of “judge-shopping” and requested that Judge Juan Merchan avoid recusing himself from Trump’s New York City hush-money case. Bragg claims that Trump’s legal team wants to delay the case and is using legal maneuvers to remove Merchan from future proceedings. Trump’s defense attorneys recently requested the recusal after they learned about Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, who has been publicly critical of Trump and has experience working for Democratic lawmakers like President Biden.
When requesting the recusal, Trump’s legal team referred to Loren Merchan’s occupation as a political consultant for the Democratic Party, which they claim is an apparent conflict of interest that could bias her father against the former president. Despite Trump’s defense team arguing that Judge Merchan possesses a conflict of interest, in 2023, an ethics panel declared that Merchan wasn’t ethically compromised due to his daughter’s public political affiliation. Merchan cited the ethics panel when he announced he wouldn’t recuse himself, claiming that he remains capable of serving as an unbiased legal official.
Trump’s legal team countered Judge Merchan’s claims of being unbiased by citing new evidence that indicates Loren Merchan could profit from a trial outcome unfavorable to former President Trump. According to Trump’s defense team, Loren Merchan’s association with Authentic Campaigns, a political consultation organization, could result in her receiving financial benefits as the case proceeds. According to the recusal motion, Loren Merchan and Authentic Campaigns could use the case to call for people to donate to Democratic candidates. Trump’s attorneys also cited Loren Merchan’s recent appearance on a podcast, where she openly admitted to disliking Trump for his political beliefs.
Braggs disagrees with Trump’s legal team, and their attempts to have Judge Merchan recuse himself, calling the entire effort a tactic meant to delay Trump’s criminal trial. Bragg also said that Loren Merchan’s work doesn’t affect her father’s ability to serve as the case’s judge and that there isn’t a present conflict of interest. When explaining his disagreement with Trump’s legal team, Braggs pointed out that there isn’t a direct connection between Judge Merchan and Authentic Campaigns.
Braggs also addressed Loren Merchan’s recent podcast appearance, claiming that Trump’s team purposely took statements out of context to cite an existing political bias. During her podcast interview, Loren Merchan said that her father hated politicians who used social media platforms, which Trump’s legal team said was an indirect reference to the former president. Braggs disagrees and says that statements made by Loren Merchan aren’t indicative of her father having a political bias.
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