Lawyers for Donald Trump have once again requested the judge overseeing his upcoming criminal trial to recuse himself, citing an appearance of impropriety due to his daughter’s involvement with a company that has ties to Democratic groups. The attorneys argue that the judge’s daughter’s association with Authentic, which has worked with Democratic groups since the 2020 election cycle, creates a conflict of interest in Trump’s case. They claim that this conflict is based on a political agenda that is hostile to Trump, and have asked the court to recuse itself. The trial is for charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney alleging that Trump falsified business records related to hush money payments.
The motion for recusal was filed just under two weeks before the scheduled start of the trial. This is not the first time Trump’s lawyers have requested the judge’s recusal based on similar arguments. The judge had previously sought guidance from the state courts system’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics regarding his daughter’s employment with Authentic, but the committee found that it did not present a conflict of interest. The DA’s office has stated that there have been no changed circumstances since the previous ruling that would warrant the judge changing his mind. However, Trump’s lawyers argue that there has been a change, with him now being the presumptive Republican nominee and leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election, making him a political target for Democrats.
Despite the expanded gag order preventing Trump from going after witnesses, jurors, court staffers, or family members of those involved in the case, Trump has continued to criticize the judge’s daughter online. He has shared articles critical of her and even sent out an email blast mentioning her by name along with his lawyers’ allegations against her. The judge has previously rejected a similar argument for recusal in August of last year, but Trump’s lawyers believe the new electoral outlook justifies a renewed request. They have also argued that the judge inappropriately commented on the case when a court spokesperson responded to Trump’s claims about the judge’s daughter on social media.
The new filing repeats arguments made while arguing against an expanded gag order, asserting that the judge should have recused himself in August. Trump’s lawyers believe that the judge’s daughter’s association with a company that has ties to Democratic groups creates a conflict of interest in Trump’s case. The attorneys argue that this conflict is based on a political agenda that is hostile to Trump, and have asked the court to recuse itself. The trial is for charges brought by the Manhattan district attorney alleging that Trump falsified business records related to hush money payments.
In spite of the expanded gag order, Trump has continued to criticize the judge’s daughter online. He has shared articles critical of her and even sent out an email blast mentioning her by name along with his lawyers’ allegations against her. The judge has previously rejected a similar argument for recusal in August of last year, but Trump’s lawyers believe the new electoral outlook justifies a renewed request. They have also argued that the judge inappropriately commented on the case when a court spokesperson responded to Trump’s claims about the judge’s daughter on social media.
