Former President Donald Trump has vowed to ask Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is presiding over his alleged election fraud case, to step aside on what he called “very powerful grounds.”
Trump claimed he couldn’t get a fair trial unless a different judge was assigned to his case. The call for recusal comes after the prosecution requested a court order to limit Trump’s public statements about the case.
Trump made his intentions clear on his social media platform, Truth Social, referring to the case as “the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case.”
He announced that his legal team would seek the judge’s recusal immediately, without providing specific details about the grounds for his request.
Judge Chutkan was appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2014 and previously ruled against Trump’s efforts to shield evidence from the House January 6 Committee.
She is also the only federal judge in Washington to have delivered sentences against Capitol riot defendants longer than those requested by the DOJ.
Under US federal law, judges must disqualify themselves if their impartiality might reasonably be questioned.
Trump not only called for recusal but also requested a “venue change” to move his case out of Washington. He claimed there would be “no way I can get a fair trial, or even close to a fair trial, in Washington,” citing its perceived anti-Trump sentiment.
Trump’s lawyer, John Lauro, defended his client’s belief that he won the 2020 election and argued that prosecutors could not prove otherwise. Lauro asserted that Trump’s statements were protected by the First Amendment right to free speech.
Earlier, Trump’s social media post raised concerns among prosecutors about potential disclosure of confidential evidence, leading them to request a protective order.
Judge Tanya Chutkan set a deadline for Trump’s legal team to respond to the submission by 17:00 local time on Monday.
Despite requesting a three-day extension, the judge denied their request. Judge Chutkan, known for her stern approach to Capitol riot cases, is expected to schedule a trial date on 28 August, with Trump facing five upcoming trials.
The charges against Trump include conspiracy to defraud the US, tampering with a witness, and conspiracy against citizens’ rights, stemming from his actions following the 2020 election and the Capitol riot on 6 January. The former president faces three criminal trials involving the classified documents case, hush money case, and election charges, in addition to two civil trials related to business practices and defamation allegations.
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