Former President Trump and his legal team have filed a motion requesting that Judge Juan Merchan be recused from the trial on hush money allegations due to his daughter’s Democrat-affiliated political work and his alleged “hostility” against the 2024 presumptive Republican presidential nominee.
Trump’s lawyer Todd Blanche filed a 37-page motion filed Friday afternoon. The motion states that Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan, “has a direct financial interest in these proceedings by virtue of her ownership stake and leadership role at Authentic Campaigns, Inc.”
Blanche said that company “services exclusively Democrat clients” and is the “#21 ranked vendor in the country in connection with the 2024 election.
Merchan is presiding over the trial stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation into alleged hush money payments ahead of the 2016 election.
New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating former President Donald Trump for alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. (Shane Bevel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images/Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“In 2019, Ms. Merchan made public statements during a podcast regarding a conversation with Your Honor that reflect bias against President Trump from both speakers in that exchange,” Blanche wrote Friday. “Consistent with that conversation, President Biden and Vice President Harris are long-term clients of Authentic and Ms. Merchan, along with many other politicians and entities who are actively campaigning and advocating against President Trump right now.”
Trump’s attorney also said at least six of Authentic’s clients “used fundraising solicitations that referenced this case around the time of the Indictment, President Trump’s arraignment, or following the Court’s denial of President Trump’s recusal motion.”
“Authentic’s clients disbursed more than $18 million to the company between the return of the Indictment and the present,” Trump attorney wrote. “It is industry practice that Authentic would receive percentages based on funds raised and recipient engagement, and Ms. Merchan has had an ownership stake and leadership role in the company while this case is pending.”
Blanche also alleged the judge has been hostile towards Trump, and blasted his move to impose a gag order over the presumptive Republican nominee.
“Your Honor also recently issued and expanded a gag order that improperly restricts President Trump’s constitutionally protected campaign speech, which has the effect of shielding the Court and Ms. Merchan from legitimate public criticism based on the evidence discussed in this motion that is relevant to the 2024 election,” Blanche wrote.
Blanche noted in his motion that as of April 2, 2024, the list of “featured clients” on Authentic’s website included campaigns associated with Democrat politicians and entities, including “President Biden, Vice President Harris, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Congressman Schiff, Congressman Jeffries, Congressman Goldman, Congresswoman Underwood, and Congresswoman Lee. The website also features its work for the Democrat-backed “Senate Majority PAC,” and the Democrat-backed “House Majority PAC.”
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Authentic is also “actively” promotes its connections to Trump’s opponents and rivals, including President Biden and Vice President Harris, Blanche wrote.
“For example, in separate posts during the fall of 2023, Authentic wished each of them “Happy Birthday,” Blanche wrote in the motion.
Blanche said Authentic’s activities create “an unacceptable appearance of impropriety.” Trump, since he was indicted in this case, has blasted it as election interference and a political witch hunt against him run by his political opponents.
“For the reasons described above, President Trump respectfully submits that the Court must recuse itself as a matter of constitutional due process… and that recusal is also appropriate in light of appearances of impropriety,” Blanche wrote.
The trial is set to begin in New York City on April 15 with jury selection.
Bragg, last April, charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. The charges are related to alleged hush-money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.
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Bragg alleged that Trump “repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election.”
Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts.
