Juan Merchan rejects Donald Trump's request to choose new judge in NY hush money case

MANHATTAN, NEW YORK: Donald Trump has failed his most recent attempt to choose a new judge in his criminal case involving hush money in New York in the lead-up to a significant decision and probable sentencing next month.

Judge Juan M Merchan refused to resign in a ruling released on Wednesday, August 14, stating that Trump's demand was a rehashing "rife with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated claims" regarding Merchan's daughter's political connections and his capacity to render a fair and impartial conclusion in the momentous case.

Donald Trump's request was rejected for the third time

Donald Trump's attorneys have made this motion three times and each time the judge has turned them down.

They contended that Merchan, a Manhattan state court judge, had a conflict of interest because his daughter works as a political adviser for well-known Democrats and campaigns on three separate occasions. Vice President Kamala Harris was one of them when she ran for vice president in 2020. She is now the party's nominee for president in 2024.

Judge Juan Merchan assured he will continue to base his rulings 'on evidence'

Judge Juan Merchan has repeatedly said he is certain he will continue to base his rulings “on the evidence and the law, without fear or favor, casting aside undue influence.”

“With these fundamental principles in mind, this Court now reiterates for the third time, that which should already be clear — innuendo and mischaracterizations do not a conflict create,” Merchan wrote in his three-page ruling, reports New York Post. “Recusal is therefore not necessary, much less required,” he added.

Donald Trump's lawyer Todd Blanche expressed concern in a letter

However, Todd Blanche, Donald Trump's attorney, stated in a statement to the judge last month that the defense's concerns had grown "even more concrete" now that Harris is the Democratic nominee against him in this year's presidential contest. Prosecutors called the claims “a vexatious and frivolous attempt to relitigate” the issue, reports New York Post.

Donald Trump was convicted in May this year

In May, Donald Trump was found guilty of fabricating company documents to hide a 2016 agreement to pay porn star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about her claimed 2006 sexual encounter with him. Attorneys for the prosecution portrayed the payment as a part of Trump's campaign strategy to prevent voters from learning negative information about him.

Trump claims that all of the allegations were untrue, that the financial records were authentic, and that the lawsuit was a ploy to harm his candidacy. Democrat Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan District Attorney, is the prosecutor who filed the charges. Trump has pledged to appeal. Legally, that cannot happen before a defendant is sentenced.

Donald Trump's lawyers took several steps to derail the case

Meanwhile, Donald Trump's attorneys pursued various avenues to attempt and sabotage the case. They have also requested Juan Merchan to reverse the decision and dismiss the case completely due to the July ruling on presidential immunity by the US Supreme Court, in addition to their plea for recusal.

Trump's attorneys contended that the jury in the hush money case shouldn't have heard testimony from former White House employees detailing the then-president's response to media coverage of the Daniels transaction in light of the verdict.

Merchan scheduled a hearing on the immunity claim for September 16 and "the imposition of sentence or other proceedings as appropriate" for September 18 earlier this month. The hush money case is one of four criminal prosecutions brought against Trump last year.

Internet voices support for Donald Trump as he urges to choose a new judge in hush-money case 

Netizens sided with the former president as his attorneys tried to choose a new judge in his criminal case. One X user tweeted, "Demand? It was a request. Stop gas lighting people!" Another said, "The Merchan Crime Family must be brought to justice!" 

"Hush money is not crime you leftist parasites/ gornalists," remarked one. Another added, "Can't wait for Trump to throw this corrupt thug in jail." 

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