Former President Donald Trump on Sunday bashed the federal judge assigned to his case over alleged efforts to subvert the 2020 election, saying his legal team would be asking for her recusal “on very powerful grounds.”
“There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge ‘assigned’ to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case. Everybody knows this, and so does she!” Trump wrote on Truth Social about Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of former President Barack Obama who has also been prone to give some of the lengthiest sentences for Jan. 6 defendants.
TRUMP BLASTS DOJ PROTECTIVE ORDER FOR TARGETING HIS RIGHT TO ‘POLITICAL SPEECH’
Trump continued, “We will be immediately asking for recusal of this judge on very powerful grounds, and likewise for venue change, out [of] D.C.” He also hit out at special counsel Jack Smith, calling him “deranged” and claiming he waited too long to bring the case forward.
“Deranged Jack Smith… could have brought this [Biden] ‘opponent’ case years ago, but chose to wait and bring it right in the middle of my election campaign. No way!!! I hope you are watching America,” Trump wrote.
Trump’s post comes just two days after prosecutors filed a motion Friday evening for a protective order, which would prevent Trump from publicly sharing evidence about the case.
Chutkan issued a deadline for Trump to respond to Smith’s request. Trump’s legal team followed up by asking for an extension to file a response to the motion for the protective order from Monday, Aug. 7 to Aug. 10 to “ensure counsel has adequate time to prepare a fulsome response.”
But the judge ultimately rejected the request on Saturday evening and confirmed the Monday, 5 p.m. deadline.
Trump is also seeking a complete venue change on claims that he would receive a partial jury, though judges in D.C. have repeatedly denied other requests to move cases from defendants of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
The former president was indicted last week on four federal crimes, including conspiracy to defraud, obstruction and conspiracy of rights. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges on Thursday. He has maintained he did no wrong in relation to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and his attorneys have said the president’s claims of fraudulent activity in the 2020 election were sincere and were not “lies” as prosecutors allege.
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His Sunday morning Truth Social post comes as his lawyer John Lauro rejected the possibility of the former president accepting a plea deal. Lauro also pledged that Trump’s team plans to seek a motion to dismiss the charges and said that he believes West Virginia would be an “excellent venue to try this case.”
When asked on CBS’s Face The Nation when Trump will be ready for trial, Lauro avoided a straight answer but said, “In 40 years of practicing law, on a case of this magnitude, I’ve not known a single case to go to trial before 2-3 years.
