Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has urged Judge Juan Merchan to deny Donald Trump's most recent recusal request, citing multiple flaws in Trump's legal argument.
Bragg's characterization of the contested motion as marred by "fatal" flaws follows Trump’s renewed attempt to have Merchan step aside in his New York hush money case due to allegedly bias-inducing connections with top Democratic Party figures, as Newsweek reports.
This legal saga marks the third attempt by former Trump to have Judge Merchan recuse himself from the proceedings. Trump asserts that Merchan's daughter’s professional ties with Democratic candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris, compromise the judge's neutrality.
In a statement, Bragg described Trump’s motion to recuse Judge Merchan as baseless, labeled with "fatal defects." He emphasized that the "hyperbolic rhetoric" in Trump's arguments could not rectify the fundamental weaknesses in his request.
Trump's recent motion, filed on Wednesday, highlighted the connection between Judge Merchan's daughter’s work with Democratic candidates, stressing Harris’s role as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Trump argued this constituted a new, compelling reason for recusal.
Should Judge Merchan reject Trump's motion, the convicted former president is set to face sentencing on Sept. 18. This development puts added pressure on Trump, who was previously found guilty on 34 felony counts related to falsification of business records.
Bragg’s recent communication labeled Trump's latest filing as "vexatious and frivolous." He reminded Judge Merchan of his previous determinations that found no "right to recusal" under the given circumstances.
The conviction stemmed from allegations that Trump made a hush money payment during his 2016 campaign to silence claims of a sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels. Trump's legal team contends that the verdict should be overturned due to perceived judicial bias and a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity.
Bragg’s office maintains that Trump is recycling previously settled issues. The district attorney's letter underlined that Judge Merchan has declared his daughter’s professional activities do not reasonably call his impartiality into question.
Judge Merchan referenced a state judicial ethics advisory committee’s guidance to justify his decision to remain on the case. Critics argue that Trump’s attempts to seek recusal are part of a broader strategy to delegitimize the judicial process. In contrast, Trump’s supporters contend that the judge’s familial connections indeed raise valid concerns over potential bias. Amid these disputes, Judge Merchan issued a gag order on Trump to halt attacks against his family members.
However, Trump was found to have violated this order ten times, leading to fines totaling $10,000. Trump's attorneys, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, argue that the gag order unduly limits Trump's ability to respond to campaign attacks from Harris, which they claim are pertinent to the recusal request.
As the legal battle unfolds, Bragg reinforces the notion that Trump's motion seeks to disrupt and challenge the decisions already made. He aims to ensure the court proceedings maintain their integrity without yielding to what he sees as redundant legal tactics.
In conclusion, Alvin Bragg deems Trump's latest recusal effort flawed and insists that Judge Merchan should dismiss it. Trump’s convicted felony counts and his ongoing motion practices, mixed with claims of judicial bias, continue to draw scrutiny and controversy. As the sentencing date approaches, the court's handling of these motions will be critical in determining the unfolding legal and political saga.
