Former US President Donald Trump once again asked this Friday that the judge presiding over his next criminal trial in New York, Juan Merchan, recuse himself because he has a conflict of interest related to his daughter, despite the fact that that same request was already denied. last year.
In May 2023, Trump's lawyers already requested to recuse themselves from the judge, citing their daughter's Democratic affiliation due to her work in a marketing agency for political campaigns, but he rejected the motion in August, explaining that they had not provided realistic evidence. to merit his departure.
Trump's defense delivered a motion in court today in which they recognize that personal political opinions "are not grounds for a recusal," but argue that the judge's daughter, Loren Merchan, has a financial interest in the trial, since his company works with Democratic candidates.
The lawyers already warned that they would try again to remove Merchan after he imposed a “gag” order against Trump a week ago to limit his public comments about potential witnesses, lawyers, court officials and even relatives of prosecutors or lawyers.
The judge expanded the order to include, among other people, his own family, since Trump later used his social network to attack his daughter Loren.
The former president's defense argues that Authentic Campaigns, the company in which the judge's daughter is an executive and partner, worked on President Joe Biden's presidential campaign in 2020, and that it now works with politicians and entities that are actively speaking out against of Trump.
This same Friday, Merchan rejected another separate motion from the lawyers, in which they asked to subpoena the media company NBCUniversal to give them internal information about the documentary “Stormy,” in which the porn actress Stormy Daniels, one of the protagonists of the criminal case, talks about his experience.
The long-awaited trial against Trump, the first criminal trial ever opened against a former president of the country, will begin on the 15th with jury selection.
The mogul faces 34 charges of fraud and associates for falsifying documents to hide the payment she made in 2016 to Daniels and thus buy her silence about an extramarital relationship she allegedly had with him, although Trump denies it.
