Trump's defense team: Daughter of judge in New York case worked for Kamala Harris
According to The Hill, former President Donald Trump's lawyers are once again pushing to have New York Judge Juan Merchan recuse himself from the former president's business records case.
The basis for their push lies in the fact that Merchan's daughter has done work for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Loren Merchan used Trump's trial to fundraise for Democrats
The New York Post noted earlier this year that Loren Merchan serves as chief operating officer and president of Authentic Campaigns, a Democrat-aligned political consulting firm.
The Post article pointed out that Ms. Merchan has used the criminal trial which her father presided over to raise at least $93 million for high-profile Democrats.
One of her clients has been the vice president, something which Trump defense attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove stressed in a pre-motion letter sent to the judge last week.
"Your Honor’s daughter has a long-standing relationship with Harris, including work for political campaigns," The Hill quoted Blanche and Bove as writing.
"She has obtained — and stands to obtain in the future — extensive financial, professional, and personal benefits from her relationship with Harris," the pair continued.
Judge donated to anti-Trump group
"Regardless of intent, decisions by Your Honor on the pending Presidential immunity motion and at any sentencing would benefit not only Harris but also the professional aspirations and financial status of Your Honor’s daughter and Authentic—all in a manner consistent with the prohibited political contributions by Your Honor that led to a caution from the Commission on Judicial Conduct," Blanche and Bove added.
In mentioning Merchan's "prohibited political contributions," the lawyers were recalling how he not only donated to President Joe Biden's 2020 campaign but also gave money to an anti-Trump political action committee.
WTF!! So, Judge Merchan donated to the "Progressive Turnout Project" & it's subsidiary the "STOP TRUMP" organization??!! OMG, are you kidding me right now?!!👇 pic.twitter.com/xSNRMvM3YB
— Michelle #FKH (@MichelleRM68) May 29, 2024
Blanche and Bove are not the only ones to bring up Loren Merchan, as House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan recently did so as well.
Jim Jordan looks at "financial benefit" of Trump's trial for Ms. Merchan
As Breitbart reported, Jordan sent a letter to Ms. Merchan on Thursday requesting information regarding her company's "work on behalf of President Trump's political adversaries and the financial benefit" she derived from it.
"Since the indictments, two of Authentic Campaigns’ top clients—Representative Adam Schiff and the Senate Majority PAC—have raised 'at least $93 million in campaign donations' while referencing the indictments in their solicitation emails," Jordan pointed out.
"At a minimum, there is a perception that you and Authentic Campaigns could profit considerably from President Trump’s prosecution in a forum overseen by your father," he stressed.