'Daisy chain of innuendos': NY prosecutors fire back at Trump team’s push for judge’s recusal
One day after Judge Juan Merchan expanded Donald Trump's gag order ahead of the April 15 start date for his hush money criminal trial, the ex-president's legal team called for the New York Supreme Court judge's recusal from the case — again.
However, the MAGA hopeful's lawyers were immediately met with pushback from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's team in a letter the prosecutors submitted to the court Tuesday.
Trump lawyers have suggested multiple times that Merchan's daughter, Loren Merchan's, ties to a consulting firm that works on Democrats' campaigns is enough to have the judge recused.
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Trump's team first sought Merchan's recusal in August, but Merchan declined to do so, "citing a state advisory committee on judicial ethics," the New York Times reports.
Per the Times, the attorneys also claim Merchan's daughter's "company, Authentic Campaigns, has used social media to deride Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and tout its connections to President Biden."
Judge Merchan on Monday, April 1 tightened the partial gag order he issued last week after the former president repeatedly attacked his daughter via social media, sharing her name and posting a New York Post article that included her picture.
Just Security reporter Adam Klasfeld shared the prosecutors' letter via X (formerly Twitter), writing, "Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's prosecutors skewer Trump's latest effort to seek Justice Merchan's recusal, through a 'daisy chain of innuendos' about the judge's daughter. NY's judicial ethics board denied Trump's claims of a conflict last year."
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Klasfeld also emphasizes, "As it relates to the judge's daughter, prosecutors say there's 'simply nothing new here.'"
Their letter reads: "The People respectfully submit this letter opposing defendant's April 1, 2024 pre-motion letter seeking leave to file another motion for recusal based, again, on the Court's family member's employment. Defendant has identified no changed circumstances that warrant revisiting the Court's August 11, 2023 Order denying defendant's earlier motion for recusal."
The prosecutors continue, "First, defendant asserts, without citation, that 'Authentic has used social media to market its connections to President Biden and Vice President Harris while deriding President Trump.' Def.'s Apr. 1 Ltr. Even assuming that this claim is true, it merely reiterates defendant's earlier argument based on Authentic's client list."
"Second," the assistant district attorneys emphasize, "defendant asserts, again without citation, that 'Authentic has received millions of dollars' from 'entities associated with [defendant's] political rivals,' and that some of those 'entities' are 'associated with legislators and PACs" that have "solicit[ed] contributions specifically based on this case.' Def.'s Apr. 1 Ltr. Defendant's own careful wording reveals the multiple attenuated factual leaps here that undercut any direct connection between Authentic and this case: Authentic has received money from 'entities'; those entities are 'associated with' politicians; and those politicians have raised money based on this case. This daisy chain of innuendos is a far cry from evidence that this Court has 'a direct, personal, substantial or pecuniary interest in reaching a particular conclusion.'"
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