The Republican candidate in the United States elections, Donald Trump, failed again this Wednesday, for the third time, in his attempt to remove the judge who must announce his sentence for covering up the payment of money to buy the silence of a former porn actress before the 2016 elections.
The former president’s lawyers again claimed that the work of the daughter of the Colombian-born judge Juan Merchan for a Democratic-leaning organization creates a “conflict of interest” and that he should recuse himself. However, the judge flatly rejected Trump’s latest attempt to have him removed from the case.
“Simply put, Defendant’s arguments amount to nothing more than a rehash of stale and unsubstantiated assertions,” Merchan wrote in the ruling.
“Defense counsel’s reliance on, and apparent citation of, his own prior statement, riddled with inaccuracies and unsubstantiated assertions, is fruitless. As such, defendant’s motion is again denied,” the brief reads.
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In May, a jury pleaded guilty to the former president of 34 counts of charges for covering up payments to silence former porn star Stormy Daniels for an alleged extramarital affair. However, Trump and his team continue to do everything possible to overturn the New York ruling and delay other pending lawsuits until after the November election.
On September 16, the judge will consider a separate motion from Trump’s lawyers to vacate the verdict and dismiss the case Relying on the Supreme Court’s ruling in July on the presidential immunity.
Depending on the outcome of that hearing, Merchan scheduled the Trump’s sentencing announcement for September 18. The Republican team questions the judge’s ability to preside over this case.
Previously, a New York state ethics panel had found no problem with Merchan continuing to handle the case, and the judge said “The court will continue to base its decisions on evidence and the law, without fear or favor, and without undue influence.”
Despite the ethical ruling, Trump’s legal team insisted that the work done by Merchan’s daughterwhich they said included past fundraising efforts for Trump’s rival in the November electionsVice President Kamala Harris, undermines the independence of the judge.
On his Truth Social platform, Trump called it “voter suppression and manipulation” an order from Merchan limiting his ability to attack the judge’s relatives.
Source: Ambito
