Trump Asks Judge to Recuse Herself in Election Subversion Case

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Facts

• Lawyers representing former US Pres. Donald Trump on Monday asked US District Judge Tanya Chutkan — who is overseeing his federal election subversion case in Washington, DC — to recuse herself, saying her past public statements about the former president compromise her impartiality.¹
• The filing cites comments Chutkan made in a case she heard in October 2022 involving a Jan. 6 defendant, as well as a case she heard in December 2021 – statements the filing argues are “inherently disqualifying.'²
• In one case, Chutkan called Jan. 6 'nothing less than an attempt to violently overthrow the government, the legally, lawfully, peacefully elected government, by individuals who were mad that their guy lost.” She later added, 'it's blind loyalty to one person who, by the way, remains free to this day.'³
• Trump's lawyers argue Chutkin’s comments imply that Trump 'should be prosecuted and imprisoned” and also claim her comments erode public trust.⁴
• Chutkan, who was appointed by former Pres. Barack Obama, was randomly assigned to Trump’s case. She has been outspoken about Jan. 6, calling the riots an assault on American democracy and exceeding the prosecutors’ sentencing requests in some cases.⁵
• Trump is facing a maximum of 55 years in prison on four counts related to Jan. 6. The trial is set for March 4, 2024.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²Daily Caller, ³BBC News, ⁴FOX News, ⁵CNN and ⁶Daily Mail.

Narratives

• Democratic narrative, as provided by Guardian. This is just another case of Trump’s legal team throwing things against the wall to see what might stick in an attempt to delay legal proceedings from moving forward. Trump has filed recusal requests in other cases as well. Any judge with experience is going to have rulings and statements on weighty matters, but that doesn’t preclude them from being impartial. These stall tactics won’t work for long.
• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by PJ Media. An Obama-appointed judge like Chutkan should never have been allowed anywhere near this case in the first place. Her past comments aren’t just indicative of someone who’s biased against Trump and thinks the former president should be imprisoned, they mischaracterize the events of Jan. 6 — a sign of her left-leaning bias. She should recuse herself.

Predictions