Trump calls for recusal of judge in Jan. 6 case ‘on very powerful grounds’
Former President Donald Trump claimed Sunday there is “no way” he’ll get a fair trial over the election-meddling indictment he faces — calling for a new venue and judge to oversee the federal case.
Trump, 77, said his lawyers will be asking for the recusal of Washington DC federal court Judge Tanya Chutkan — who is overseeing the case regarding the ex-president’s alleged attempts to thwart the 2020 election — “on very powerful grounds.”
“THERE IS NO WAY I CAN GET A FAIR TRIAL WITH THE JUDGE ‘ASSIGNED’ TO THE RIDICULOUS FREEDOM OF SPEECH/FAIR ELECTIONS CASE,” Trump posted Sunday morning on Truth Social.
“EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS, AND SO DOES SHE! WE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKING FOR RECUSAL OF THIS JUDGE ON VERY POWERFUL GROUNDS, AND LIKEWISE FOR VENUE CHANGE, OUT IF D.C.,” he added.
Chutkan, who did not oversee the former president’s arraignment Thursday but is presiding over the case, has a reputation for being a harsh “punisher” of Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
She is widely regarded as much tougher than Florida federal Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee, who is presiding over the case accusing him of hoarding top-secret documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach.
Chutkan was randomly selected to preside over what is now the third criminal indictment lodged against Trump. She was nominated to the bench by former President Barack Obama.
The 61-year-old judge recently rejected a bid from Trump’s legal team seeking more time to respond to the Justice Department’s request for her to issue a protective order limiting what information he can publicly share about the case.
Prosecutors asked Chutkan to muzzle Trump’s public commentary after the former president wrote, “If you go after me, I’m coming after you” in a Truth Social post Friday.
His team has until 5 p.m. ET Monday to respond to the request.
Trump was charged on a four-count indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith last week pertaining to his efforts to challenge the 2020 election.
Charges against him include: obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, conspiracy against rights, and conspiracy to defraud the US.
He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Thursday.
Seemingly undeterred by the protective order sought against him, Trump also lashed out at Smith in his Sunday post.
“DERANGED JACK SMITH AND OUR HIGHLY PARTISAN, AND VERY CORRUPT, DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE, COULD HAVE BROUGHT THIS BIDIN ‘OPPONENT’ CASE YEARS AGO, BUT CHOSE TO WAIT AND BRING IT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ELECTION CAMPAIGN,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“NO WAY!!! I HOPE YOU ARE WATCHING AMERICA. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
Trump also re-upped his grievances with having a trial in DC, alluding to the city’s deeply liberal voting record. And he called for a federal takeover of the US capital, which he described as a “filthy and crime ridden embarrassment to our nation.”
Trump had noted his disgust with DC when he was driven with a motorcade through city traffic to his arraignment on Thursday.
The former president also faces a 34-count indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office over alleged hush money payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels in the lead-up to the 2016 election. And he faces a second federal indictment on 40-counts in the classified documents case out of Florida.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
His next hearing in the 2020 election case — during which a trial date is expected to be set — is slated for Aug. 28, five days after the first GOP debate in the 2024 presidential race.
Trump remains the far-and-away 2024 GOP frontrunner in a torrent of recent state and national polling.
