Trump to seek new judge in election conspiracy trial
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Donald Trump has not only pushed back against prosecutors and judiciary, he has also denigrated Washington.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
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WASHINGTON – Former United States president Donald Trump said on Sunday he will petition to have a different judge oversee his historic criminal trial
The twice-impeached Republican
His latest target: US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, an appointee of Democratic former president Barack Obama who was randomly assigned to the case in Washington.
“There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge ‘assigned’ to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case. Everybody knows this, and so does she,” Trump, using all capital letters, posted on his Truth Social platform.
“We will be immediately asking for recusal of this judge on very powerful grounds, and likewise for venue change,” out of Washington – a majority Black city that leans heavily Democratic, Trump continued.
His lawyer John Lauro however denied later Sunday that any final decision had been made.
Mr Lauro confirmed that they would be seeking a change of venue, but only after “some polling” and “quantitative analysis in terms of how people are reacting to the indictment.”
Ms Chutkan, 61, is one of a dozen judges on the Washington federal district court bench. Her nomination to her post in 2014 was approved unanimously by the Senate.
She has a legal history with Trump, having ruled against him in a November 2021 case in which she notably declared that “presidents are not kings”. And she has handed down lengthy sentences to Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6 of that year.
She has rebuffed the Trump legal team’s recent demands.
On Saturday, she denied the team’s motion to extend a deadline for responding to the US government’s protective order request that could limit what Trump and his lawyers can share publicly about his case.
Team Trump wanted to push the deadline to Thursday, but the judge said it must abide by the current deadline of 5pm on Monday.
Pence may testify
Former vice-president Mike Pence, a key figure in the case, said on Sunday that he would not object to testifying in Trump’s trial.
“I have no plans to testify,” Mr Pence told CNN.
“But look... we’ll always comply with the law,” said the 64-year-old, who is now competing against his former boss for the Republican presidential nomination.
Leading up to the Jan 6, 2021, joint session of Congress, Trump had called on Mr Pence to use his position as presiding officer to block the certification of Mr Joe Biden’s election win.
When Mr Pence refused to do so, Trump tweeted that he “didn’t have the courage”. Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol to interrupt the certification that day could be heard chanting “Hang Mike Pence”.
Mr John Lauro, a member of Trump’s legal team, argued on Sunday that Trump’s requests were not orders, and were therefore legal under free speech clauses of the Constitution.
“Asking is aspirational. Asking is not action. It’s core free speech,” he told CNN.
The indictment last week
Trump, the clear front runner thus far in the Republican presidential primary, has not only pushed back against prosecutors and the judiciary, he has also denigrated Washington.
Shortly after his arraignment on Thursday, when he pleaded not guilty to the four charges against him, he spoke to reporters and called the capital a city of “filth and decay”.
Trump’s trial date in the election case is expected to be announced on Aug 28 at a hearing before Ms Chutkan.
Despite his legal peril, Trump retains the loyalty of a large segment of his party. He holds a substantial lead in polls for the Republican nomination and is seen as widening the gap with his nearest rival, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. AFP
