Donald Trump has been trying to get Judge Juan Merchan off the hush-money case since it started.
There appear to be some obvious conflicts of interest, but Merchan continues to deny the recusal request, denying the request for the third time this week.
Talking Points…
- Merchan's possible conflict of interest
- Request denied
- Analysis
It would be nice to think that our judiciary can remain unbiased, but we all know that is no longer the case. Above all else, ideology has taken over our courts and a verdict can be predicted based on who appointed the judge, at least in most cases. In Alvin Bragg's hush money case, there is another piece of information that has us believing the judge has a conflict of interest, that being his daughter, Loren, making money off Trump's legal problems.
Loren works for Authentic Campaigns, which works with some of the most influential Democrats in Congress and throughout the country, such as Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. According to recent reports, her business was up more than 85% in the first half of the year, bringing in nearly $13 million. And if reports are accurate, much of the fundraising she has been doing for the Democrats has been off Donald Trump's legal problems.
In a just world, her business would not impact Judge Merchan's decisions, but can anyone really say that Merchan has been fair in this case? Virtually every motion that Trump has made has been denied, and the fact that he even allowed Bragg to bring this case in this manner makes us question whether he is impartial or has an agenda.
Donald Trump has attempted multiple times to have Merchan recuse himself from the case, but he has failed every time, including the latest effort, which was the third. Trump's attorneys specifically cited the work that Loren Merchan does for Democrats, who Trump claims are coming after him for political reasons. Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove argued:
"Your Honor's daughter has a long-standing relationship with Harris, including work for political campaigns. She has obtained — and stands to obtain in the future — extensive financial, professional, and personal benefits from her relationship with Harris."
In his ruling, Judge Merchan stated:
"Stated plainly, Defendant's arguments are nothing more than a repetition of stale and unsubstantiated claims.
"This Court now reiterates for the third time, that which should already be clear — innuendo and mischaracterizations do not a conflict create. Recusal is therefore not necessary, much less required."
Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung responded to the ruling, stating:
"The acting Justice has consistently and recklessly displayed his personal bias against President Trump throughout the case, including issuing an illegal, unconstitutional, and election-interfering Gag Order against the President and his campaign, and admitting constitutionally prohibited 'evidence' at trial.
"The Highly-Conflicted Judge should have long ago recused himself from this case."
I have talked to quite a few attorneys about this case, and most believe that Trump will have some level of success on appeal. They seem to believe there is enough to possibly have the verdict overturned outright, but at the very least, they believe any penalty or sentence handed down by Merchan will be reduced unless he is extremely lenient on Trump, but there is no reason to believe it will happen.
