Judge in Trump hush money case says he will not recuse himself
By Kara Scannell, CNN
(CNN) — The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial related to hush money payments said he will not recuse himself from the case, rejecting the former president’s latest attempt to remove him ahead of his sentencing next month.
Trump has repeatedly sought to remove Judge Juan Merchan from the proceedings, citing work the judge’s daughter has done for Democratic campaigns. An advisory committee on ethics previously found no basis for the judge to step aside.
In denying Trump’s motion, the judge wrote, “this court now reiterates for the third time, that which should already be clear – innuendo and mischaracterization do not a conflict create.”
The judge said Trump has offered no new facts to warrant another review. “Counsel has merely repeated arguments that have already been denied by this and higher courts,” Merchan wrote in his decision.
Trump is scheduled to be sentenced next month after a jury convicted him in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up a payment to a porn star before the 2016 election.
The conviction made Trump the first former president to be found guilty of a felony and the first major-party presidential nominee to be convicted of a crime in the midst of a campaign for the White House.
Merchan wrote, “As has been the standard throughout the pendency of this case, the court will continue to base its rulings on the evidence and the law, without fear or favor, casting aside undue influence.”
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, accused Merchan of having a “personal bias” against the former president.
“The whole witch hunt was rotten from the start and it should now be dismissed entirely as the partisan hoax that it is,” Cheung said in a statement. “President Trump will continue to fight this scam, and will always do all he can to save this great country from the dangerously liberal Harris-Biden mess.”
In addition to seeking Merchan’s recusal, Trump’s attorneys last month asked the judge to dismiss the conviction after the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.
Merchan is set to issue his decision on immunity on September 16. Trump’s sentencing in the case, if it’s still needed, is scheduled for September 18, Merchan wrote last month.
This story has been updated with additional reaction.
CNN’s Paula Reid and Jeremy Herb contributed to this report.
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