Former President Trump’s lawyers have again asked the New York judge who oversaw Trump’s recent criminal trial to recuse himself from providing his daughter with professional advice for prominent Democrats — this time, citing her work for Vice President Harris, his likely opponent in November.
Judge Juan Merchan has already rejected Trump’s demands to recuse himself, but Trump is renewing his request, with Harris now becoming the presumptive Democratic nominee after President Biden dropped out of the race.
“Your Honor’s daughter has a long-standing relationship with Harris, including work for political campaigns,” Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote in a pre-motion letter seeking the judge’s refusal. “She has derived – and expects to derive in the future – broad financial, professional and personal benefits from her relationship with Harris.”
Merchan’s daughter, Loren, works as an executive at progressive digital agency Authentic. The judge’s daughter points to his work for Harris’ Senate campaign in her company bio.
Trump’s lawyers previously claimed that her work made the judge biased against the former president. They pointed to the agency’s work for Trump’s then “main political rival”: Biden.
Merchan rejected previous demands to recuse himself, saying he had received guidance from a state ethics advisory committee and did not need to step aside.
In late May, a New York jury convicted Trump of all 34 counts of falsifying business records with the intent to illegally influence the 2016 presidential election as part of a secret deal with a pornographic actor.
Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for September 18, but Merchan is expected to first weigh in on Trump’s efforts to overturn the verdict following the Supreme Court ruling granting criminal immunity to former presidents.
“Regardless of intent, Your Excellency’s decisions on the pending presidential immunity motion and in any ruling would benefit not only Harris, but also the professional aspirations and financial situation of Your Excellency’s daughter and Authentic – all in a manner consistent with the political contributions prohibited by His Honor, this led to a warning from the Judicial Conduct Commission,” Trump’s lawyers wrote.
The warning references how Merchan made $35 in donations to Biden’s campaign and two liberal-leaning groups before taking on Trump’s criminal case. Ethics rules prevent New York judges from making political contributions, and a complaint against Merchan was dismissed with a warning.
In a statement, Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung called Merchan “a highly confrontational judge who should be immediately recused.”
The Hill has reached out to the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) for comment.
Earlier this year, Trump targeted Loren Merchan at Truth Social. The former president is now prohibited from making public comments about family members of the judge or prosecutors, although Merchan and Bragg remain fair game. Trump’s new letter again raises questions about restrictions on speech.
Trump has previously targeted family members of judges who oversaw his legal affairs. In his civil fraud case in New York, the judge’s wife and son became the object of the former president’s wrath.
Updated at 3:27 p.m. EDT
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
