Manhattan Judge Refuses To Recuse Himself from Case Despite Concerning Past Political Contributions
The Manhattan judge overseeing the hush money case against former President Donald Trump has refused to step away from the case despite his past contributions to Democrats
Merchan rejected the arguments and referenced findings from the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, which he consulted prior to Trump’s recusal request.
Judge Juan Merchan affirmed his ability to be “fair and impartial” in an opinion rejecting arguments from Trump’s legal team stating that he should recuse himself, according to Fox News.
“We see nothing in the inquiry to suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judge’s relative, the relative’s business, or any of their interests,” the advisory committee wrote.
Regarding the allegations of personal bias, Merchan said Trump’s team had failed to make a substantive argument.
“Defendant has failed to demonstrate that there exists concrete, or even realistic reasons for recusal to be appropriate, much less required on these grounds,” Merchan wrote. “The speculative and hypothetical scenarios offered by Defendant fall well short of the legal standard.”
Merchan donated $15 to then-candidate Joe Biden’s campaign, $10 to the Progressive Turnout Project and $10 to Stop Republicans during the 2020 election cycle.
