Reuters :
Donald Trump’s lawyers again asked the judge overseeing the former US president’s criminal trial on charges stemming from hush money paid to a porn star to recuse himself, citing his daughter’s work for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Justice Juan Merchan has denied previous recusal requests by Trump’s lawyers. Harris is poised to become the Democratic nominee in the 5 Nov election, while Trump is the Republican nominee.
In a court filing made public on Thursday, Trump’s lawyers Todd Blanche and Emil Bove said the political consulting firm where Merchan’s daughter works, Authentic, worked for Harris’ 2020 presidential run and is working for Democratic groups this year.
“Your Honor’s daughter has a long-standing relationship with Harris, including work for political campaigns,” Trump’s lawyers wrote. “She has obtained – and stands to obtain in the future – extensive financial, professional and personal benefits from her relationship with Harris.”
Authentic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Merchan rejected a similar recusal request by Trump’s lawyers on 15 April before jury selection.
He also denied a recusal request in 2023, after an ethics panel found that his daughter’s work did not pose reasonable questions about his impartiality.
Jurors found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, for having covered up former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen’s $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The payment was made in exchange for Daniels’ silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump a decade earlier, which Trump denied. Trump won the presidency by defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton.