Defense attorneys for President Trump argued in a court filing made public Thursday that Judge Juan Merchan should recuse himself from overseeing Trump's criminal hush money case due to a conflict of interest, citing connections between the judge's daughter and Kamala Harris.
Defense lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove claimed that the judge's daughter has had an ongoing and beneficial relationship with Harris, including work on her 2020 campaign, which could influence the judge’s impartiality. The website for Judge Merchan’s daughter’s consulting firm currently lists “Kamala Harris for President” as its top client, according to investigative reporter Julie Kelly.
This marks the third attempt by Trump's legal team to disqualify Judge Merchan. Previously, New York's Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics found no reason to question Merchan's impartiality based on his daughter's professional role. A renewed motion earlier this year was dismissed by Merchan, who criticized it as relying on “inferences, innuendos, and unsupported speculation.”
Trump’s lawyers also renewed their argument that the case should be dismissed following a recent Supreme Court ruling granting him presumptive immunity for actions taken while in office. Prosecutors countered that Trump’s alleged misconduct was purely personal and unrelated to official duties. In response, Trump's defense contends that the introduction of evidence related to official acts at trial undermined his immunity and warrants dismissal of the case and vacating of any jury verdicts.
Trump was convicted in May on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records concerning a hush money payment to Stormy Daniels. Judge Merchan has postponed Trump’s sentencing, originally set for July 11, to September 18 to consider the request to overturn the conviction.
