NEW YORK (AP) – Donald Trump’s vehement views aside, Manhattan prosecutors have found evidence that both the former president and his attorneys support claims that the judge in the hush-money criminal case has anti-Trump bias. He said he didn’t show anything. They asked him to refuse the defense’s request to withdraw from the case.
In court documents released Tuesday, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office defended Judge Juan Manuel Marchan against President Trump’s allegations that he was a “Trump-hating judge,” saying the judge was not like the judge. It bolstered the Court Ethics Committee’s recent view that judges in positions of inequality need not resign. .
of State Judicial Ethics Advisory Board Opinion May 4, suggesting that Mr. Marchan sought the Commission’s opinion while grappling with the gravity of his role in the case and with deep-seated concerns that he might be perceived to have bias or a conflict of interest. there is The opinion was not named, but the details were consistent, stating that a “trial judge” was presiding over a criminal case involving a “former public official.”
Trump’s lawyers say the Manhattan state court judge is biased because his daughter is a political consultant whose firm is owned by some of Trump’s Democratic rivals. and because some of Marchan’s decisions in two previous Trump-related lawsuits point to decisions in Trump’s favour. Prosecutors bent.
In its opinion, the Judicial Ethics Advisory Committee said that judges in just such situations “can continue to preside over the matter as long as they believe they are fair and impartial.” concluded.
Alvin Bragg’s senior counsel, Matthew Colangelo, agreed that neither issue was a reason for Mr. Marchan to step down. He described Trump’s motion to dismiss as the latest in a “tremendous history of unsubstantiated bigotry accusations of state and federal judges across the country.”
The decision to decline is left to Marchan himself. He previously denied a similar request when Trump’s company, the Trump Organization, was on trial.
Separately, Mr. Trump’s lawyers are moving the case to federal court, which would also remove Mr. Marchan from the court. A federal judge has scheduled a June 27 hearing on the request.
A message was left for Mercan for comment. Court spokesman Lucien Chalfen said: “We have no further comment as this case is pending before Judge Marchan.”
Prosecutors on Tuesday demanded from attorneys for author E. Gene Carroll the full contents of a deposition filed by Trump in connection with a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit. , also responded to attempts by Trump’s lawyers to counter two subpoenas. judgment against him. Trump’s lawyers say the request is too broad, but prosecutors said the full transcript and video of the deposition, not all of which have been made public, were “clearly relevant” to his case. ‘ said.
The second subpoena concerns emails exchanged between Trump Organization employees and the White House, as well as severance pay and non-disclosure agreements for key individuals at Trump’s company. Prosecutors are also investigating emails between Trump’s wife Melania and longtime company executive Lorna Graf.
In April, President Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The charges relate to hush money paid during President Trump’s 2016 campaign to bury allegations of extramarital contact. he denied wrongdoing.
The New York case is one of two criminal cases against President Trump. In federal court in Miami last week, he pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts of mishandling classified material and taking steps to cover up records. and interfere with investigators. He is the first president to be indicted for federal crimes.
In defending Marchan, Colangelo wrote that state law requires veto only if there is “a direct, personal, material, or financial interest in reaching a particular conclusion.” . He argued that the provision did not apply to Mr. Marchan’s daughter, who works for Mr. Trump’s political opponents.
Marchan’s daughter Lauren is a political consultant whose firm has campaigned for prominent Democrats including Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. .
In a statement included in Tuesday’s filing, Bragg’s political consultants said they had discussions with Lauren Marchan’s company about a possible campaign last fall. The firm was not hired, and Bragg’s consultants said they were not informed of Lauren Marchan’s relationship with the judge until around the time of Trump’s arraignment.
Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination In 2024, he could face Biden again as he seeks a return to the White House. He and his allies have used Mr. Marchan’s political ties to portray his prosecution as part of a Democratic-led “witch hunt.”
Colangelo also challenged the central point of Trump’s retraction that Marchan acted inappropriately last year by engaging in a plea bargain in which he served as Trump’s longtime Treasury secretary.
Marchan signed a deal requiring former CFO Allen Weisselberg to testify against Trump’s company in exchange for five months in prison. While this testimony ultimately helped prosecutors convict the Trump Organization of tax evasion, the way Trump’s lawyers described Marchan’s involvement in the negotiations was “virtually wrong.”
Citing affidavits from prosecutors involved in the plea bargain, Colangelo said, “At no time the court attempted to ‘induce’ Mr. Weisselberg to cooperate with the defendant or to discourage such cooperation from the sentence clause.” I didn’t try to condition it,” he wrote.
Trump attorneys Susan Necheres and Todd Blanche also gave Marchan three political contributions totaling $35 made to Democratic causes in Trump’s name during the 2020 election. I was asked to explain about
The federal campaign finance agency said Marchan had not yet responded to the request, nor did he respond to an Associated Press inquiry asking if he would verify that he was the person who made the donation. . The donation includes $15 to President Joe Biden’s anti-Trump campaign. record.
The Judicial Ethics Advisory Board’s opinion suggests that even with such a small contribution, judges like Mr. Marchan could continue litigation, even against the defendant’s political opponents. bottom.
“It is unreasonable that such a modest political contribution, made more than two years ago, would give the case a biased or favoritism appearance before a judge,” the commission said.
The court system said Mr. Trump’s case eventually went to Mr. Marchan’s court as the judges appointed to oversee the grand jury took turns handling the case.
Mr. Marchan also often handles financial cases and runs a mental health court in Manhattan, where some defendants receive treatment and supervision and the opportunity to settle their cases.
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