'Anything to drag his cases': Trump slammed as his lawyers mount fresh bid to remove Judge Juan Merchan from hush money trial

WASHINGTON, DC: In an attempt to postpone the trial that is scheduled to begin in 10 days, Donald Trump asked the judge in his hush money criminal case on Friday, April 5, to withdraw from the case since his daughter works as a marketing consultant for well-known Democrats, according to the New York Post.

Notably, due to her employment at the consulting firm Authentic Campaigns for Trump opponents like Rep Adam Schiff, the lead prosecutor in the Republican's first impeachment trial, Loren Merchan, the daughter of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, has a 'direct financial interest' in the case, according to the former president's attorneys.

Trump's lawyers make fresh bid to oust hush money trial judge

Meanwhile, Judge Merchan rejected similar arguments from Trump's lawyers over the employment status of his daughter in August 2023, stating that there was insufficient data to 'suggest that the judge's relative, the relative's business, or any of their interests could be affected in any way by the case's outcome'.

Moreover, before deciding to continue with the case, Merchan said that he had conferred with a committee on judicial ethics in New York State.

However, on Friday, Trump's attorneys contended that the matter needs to be reexamined in the face of the new situation, which includes the fact that Trump is now the likely Republican presidential nominee. This has 'solidified his status as a political target of Authentic, Ms Merchan, and their clients'.

Since Trump was alleged of concealing hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, clients of Authentic have paid the firm more than $18 million, according to the lawyers. The company has utilized 'graphics and other content that derided' Trump in marketing materials.

Notably, President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have been clients of the firm, according to the lawyers. Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, Trump's attorneys, claimed that Justice Merchan ought to step down due to an 'actual conflict' in the case.

Furthermore, they said that there is an 'appearance of impropriety' in the judge's daughter's work for Democrats. The lawyers said, referring to two Trump-boosting organizations, "It would be completely unacceptable to most New Yorkers if the judge presiding over these proceedings had an adult child who worked at WinRed or MAGA Inc."

Internet criticizes Trump over his lawyers' attempt to remove hush money trial judge

Many people online trolled and slammed former President Donald Trump as his lawyers mounted a fresh bid to remove the hush money trial judge Juan Merchan.

A user wrote on social media platform X, "Anything to drag his cases. Lock him up" while one added, "How does someone hire good lawyers but is terrible at putting together an administration?"

A person also mentioned, "Smells like panic in here.."

Another stated, "Can someone explain to me why they think Judge Merchan has a conflict of interest, but Clarence Thomas doesn’t?"

A person further wrote, "Nobody is above the law and the Constitution is the law of the United States of America."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.