Former President Donald Trump is urging the judge in his “hush money” criminal case to recuse himself due to his daughter’s work for prominent Democrats. Loren Merchan, the daughter of Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, works at Authentic Campaigns, a consulting firm that has done marketing work for Trump’s political opponents. Trump’s lawyers argue that Justice Merchan should recuse himself as his daughter has a “direct financial interest” in the case due to her work for Trump foes like Rep. Adam Schiff.
Justice Merchan has previously denied claims made by Trump’s lawyers about his daughter’s job and consulted a New York State committee on judicial ethics before deciding to stay on the case. However, Trump’s lawyers argue that the issue should be revisited in light of new circumstances, including Trump being the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. They claim that Authentic Campaigns’ clients have paid the company over $18 million since Trump was indicted on charges of covering up hush money payments to Stormy Daniels.
Trump’s lawyers argue that there is an alleged “actual conflict” in the case due to the judge’s daughter’s work for Democrats and that there is an appearance of impropriety. They claim that it would be unacceptable if the judge presiding over the case had a child working for organizations that supported Trump. The lawyers also point out a social media post by Loren Merchan where she posted a photo of Trump leaving the White House with the caption “Byyyeeeee.”
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office did not have an immediate comment on Trump’s latest motion, but argued in a separate filing that there is no new evidence presented by Trump that would alter the court’s prior decision. They argue that nothing in the case will directly benefit Authentic or the judge’s family member. Despite Trump’s attempts to delay the trial, the court has repeatedly denied his requests, and the trial is set to begin with jury selection on April 15 and last more than six weeks.
In addition to seeking the judge’s recusal, Trump was barred from speaking negatively about Merchan’s daughter in an expanded gag order. The DA’s office urged the court to restrain what they called Trump’s “dangerous” and “violent” rhetoric. Despite this order, Trump reposted articles on his Truth Social page that criticized the judge’s daughter. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, each carrying a maximum sentence of up to four years in prison. The ongoing legal battle highlights the contentious nature of Trump’s legal troubles and his efforts to challenge the court’s handling of the case.
