Donald Trump seeks recusal of judge, change of venue in January 6 case
Former United States President Donald Trump claimed that there is "no way" he will get a fair trial over the 2020 election fraud case, that he faces, and called for moving the case to a different venue and a different judge to oversee the federal case, New York Post reported.
"NO WAY I CAN GET A FAIR TRIAL, OR EVEN CLOSE TO A FAIR TRIAL, IN WASHINGTON, D.C.," Trump posted on Truth Social platform on Sunday.
He slammed the Biden administration claiming that in the city of Washington DC, murders have shattered "all-time records" and tourists have fled, and called out for a federal takeover of "filthy and crime-ridden embarrassment".
Trump further said that the case against him could have been brought up years ago, but it has been brought right in the middle of the election campaign.
"I HOPE YOU ARE WATCHING AMERICA. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" he stated in another post.
The former President said that he will be asking for the recusal of Judge Tanya Chutkan - who is overseeing the case regarding the ex-president's alleged attempts to thwart the 2020 election - "on very powerful grounds."
"WE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKING FOR RECUSAL OF THIS JUDGE ON VERY POWERFUL GROUNDS, AND LIKEWISE FOR VENUE CHANGE, OUT IF D.C.," Trump said in a subsequent post.
Notably, Chutkan, who did not oversee the former president's arraignment on Thursday but is presiding over the case, has a reputation for being a harsh "punisher" of Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, as per New York Post.
She is 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 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, New York Post reported.
Last week, Trump was charged on a four-count indictment brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith 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, according to the New York Post.
Notably, the former President has been indicted three times since March. He 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, New York Post reported.
Trump also pleaded not guilty to the new charges special counsel Jack Smith brought against him in the case alleging mishandling of classified documents from his time in the White House.
The filing marked the second time in 24 hours that the former president entered a 'not guilty' plea, following his arraignment Thursday in the special counsel's separate investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
Meanwhile, Trump's next hearing in the 2020 election case - during which a trial date is expected to be set - is slated for August 28, five days after the first GOP debate in the 2024 presidential race, New York Post reported.
