(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former President Donald Trump has taken a significant legal step in his ongoing battle against allegations of election meddling, filing a motion on Monday to demand the recusal of the federal judge overseeing the case.
Trump’s legal team argues that Judge Tanya Chutkan, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, previously called on the prosecution and contentious arrest of Trump. These allegations, Trump’s attorneys argue, necessitate her recusal from the case.
“Such statements, made before this case began and without due process, are inherently disqualifying,” the nine-page motion alleged. “Although Judge Chutkan may genuinely intend to give President Trump a fair trial—and may believe that she can do so—her public statements unavoidably taint these proceedings, regardless of outcome.”
BREAKING: Trump’s lawyers ask for Judge Tanya Chutkan to be removed from his DC J6 case pic.twitter.com/JWilh0UHcB
— Julie Kelly 🇺🇸 (@julie_kelly2) September 11, 2023
The motion centers on comments made by Chutkan during a case in October 2022 involving a defendant from the January 6th Capitol riot, as reported by the Daily Caller.
In that case, Chutkan made remarks that Trump’s attorneys find troubling, stating that the rioters were “in fealty, in loyalty, to one man — not to the Constitution” and noting that this individual, presumably Trump, “remains free to this day.”
According to the motion, this is not the first time Chutkan’s comments have raised concerns. In December 2021, during the sentencing of another January 6th defendant, Robert Scott Palmer, she remarked on the individuals who had encouraged and rallied the rioters, although she clarified that she did not have influence over charging decisions.
Chutkan has faced criticism from prominent conservatives who have also called for her recusal. Prominent legal scholar and host Mark Levin delivered scorching criticism against Chutan during the Sunday episode of Fox News’s Life, Liberty and Levin.
“The bottom line is this: Judge Tonya Chutkan is absolutely not fit to be the judge in this case. She’s already demonstrated that,” Levin remarked.
“She’s created a very diabolical situation by jumping the line on the first case. We also know when she set that date on March 4th, she had already talked to the judge in the case in Manhattan. She already had made up her mind that she was going to pick March 4th. And she’s not a fool….She knew exactly what she was doing.”
Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump on Aug. 1 on four counts related to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump, who is now running for the GOP presidential nomination, has maintained his innocent, calling the charges a plot to take down his third White House bid.
