Trump loses third attempt to remove judge in hush money case in harsh sentencing

An exasperated Judge Juan Merchan, in a scathing order released Wednesday morning, denied former President Donald Trump’s third attempt to oust the judge from his New York hush-money criminal case based on an alleged conflict of interest.

“Simply put, defendant’s arguments amount to nothing more than a rehash of outdated and unsubstantiated claims,” ​​Merchan wrote in the three-page order.

Earlier this month, Trump’s lawyers attempted to argue that Vice President Kamala Harris’ position as the Democratic presidential nominee created a conflict of interest for Merchan based on the judge’s daughter’s work as a political consultant, repeating an argument Merchan has denied twice in the past.

Merchan described Trump’s third attempt to recuse himself as “nothing more than an attempt to air grievances against the rulings of this court,” and criticized defense attorneys for repeating “inaccurate and unsubstantiated claims.”

“Defendant has not brought anything new for this Court to consider,” Merchan wrote. “Counsel has merely repeated arguments that have already been dismissed by this court and other higher courts. Defense counsel’s reliance on and apparent citation of his own prior statement, riddled with inaccurate and unsubstantiated assertions, is of no avail.”

Merchan also criticized defense attorneys for raising issues with the remaining provisions of the case’s limited gag order, which was upheld earlier this month by a mid-level appeals court in New York.

“It is therefore difficult to rationalize how defense counsel can, in good faith, claim that the Order is unconstitutional,” Merchan wrote.

In May, Trump was found guilty of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a 2016 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to boost his chances in the 2016 presidential election. Trump has said he will appeal the decision.

Following the rejection of the recusal motion, Merchán is expected to issue a decision next month on Trump’s motion to dismiss the case based on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent presidential immunity ruling. In a landmark decision last month, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump has presumptive immunity from criminal prosecution for official acts performed while in office.

Sentencing in the hush money case is still scheduled for Sept. 18.

“As has been the standard throughout the pendency of this case, this court will continue to base its rulings on the evidence and the law, without fear or favor, and without undue influence,” Merchan wrote in Wednesday’s order.