Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has demanded the recusal of Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the case against the president filed by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. According to Trump’s attorneys, Judge Merchan lacks impartiality due to his involvement in a prior case, where he encouraged a former Trump Organization executive to cooperate against the president. Moreover, there are concerns about the judge’s daughter, who is employed by Authentic Strategies, a left-wing advertising group that has the potential to financially benefit from the case’s resolution.
If the judge is honest, he will. https://t.co/m7OL3l3Q3n
— Jenna Ellis (@JennaEllisEsq) June 4, 2023
The defense argues that Judge Merchan’s daughter is a partner, President, and Chief Operating Officer of Authentic Campaigns, an entity that stands to gain financially from decisions the court makes in the case involving President Trump. Trump’s attorneys emphasized that they were not aware of the judge’s daughter’s employment until it was reported by the media after the arraignment in the case. They further added that the court should have disclosed its relationship to Authentic Campaigns, through its daughter, at or prior to arraignment based on previous cases where disclosure was required to avoid an appearance of impropriety.
Authentic Campaigns is a digital agency that partners with clients to build online programs for progressive campaigns. It has publicly taken positions against President Trump and has raised over $74 million in campaign contributions for Democrat clients since 2018. The agency’s clients include progressive causes and Democrat elected officials, such as the Biden-Harris campaign, Kamala Harris for the People, and Hakeem Jeffries.
Trump’s legal team has also requested an explanation from Judge Merchan regarding alleged political contributions made to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign and other political causes. They cited Federal Election Commission records showing that a person named Juan Merchan, who works for the New York court system, donated $35 in political contributions in 2020, with $15 going to President Joe Biden’s campaign.
In addition, Trump’s attorneys stressed the significance of the case and urged the court to consider the importance of an impartial judge, stating, “This case before this Court is historic, and it is important that the People of the State of New York and this nation have confidence that the jurist who presides over it is impartial. Most respectfully, the foregoing facts compel the conclusion that Your Honor is not impartial and thus should recuse.”
It is important for the judiciary to be impartial in every case. The American people need to have confidence in the justice system. It is abundantly clear that Judge Merchan’s bias against President Trump and his ties to Authentic Campaigns destroy the appearance of impartiality of the court. The people deserve a fair and impartial judicial system – not one that is politically driven. President Trump and his legal team are right to demand a recusal of the judge to ensure justice is being served fairly.
