Trump's attorneys demand judge's recusal from Bragg case

Former President Donald Trump has demanded that a judge handling Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case against him step down.

Trump's demand that the judge recuse himself from the matter comes with accusation that the judge is not impartial in the matter.

The filing, submitted by Trump's attorneys, points out that Judge Juan Merchan played a role in a previous case where he encouraged a Trump organization executive to cooperate against Trump.

Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg was encouraged by Judge Merchan to cooperate against Trump in a previous case.

The filing also mentions a political and financial interest of the judge's daughter in the case's outcome.

"Merchan's daughter works for Authentic Strategies, a left-wing advertising group that Trump's attorneys say stands to make money on the case," Breitbart reported.

"The attorneys noted that the case's outcome will likely affect political messaging during the 2024 electoral cycle and shape the ways Authentic works with its clients," reports Breitbart.

Trum's attorneys further asked Judge Merchan to explain "what appear to be certain political contributions made by [Merchan] to candidate Joe Biden’s Presidential campaign and other political causes so that the defense can assess whether these donations separately warrant [the judge's] recusal."

Federal Election Commission records show that someone named Juan Merchan, an employee of the New York court system, gave $35 in political contributions in 2020.

$15 of that contribution went to President Joe Biden's campaign.

"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 and thus should recuse," Trump's legal team insisted.

Trump is facing 34 criminal counts having to do with a 2016 payment his then-personal attorney, Michael Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels.

Trump has pleaded not guilty.