Politics

Trump asks Judge Tanya Chutkan to recuse herself in Capitol riots case

Washington, Sept 11 (EFE). – Former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021) filed a motion on Monday requesting the recusal of Judge Tanya Chutkan, who will try him in Washington for attempting to interfere with the results of the 2020 elections.

“Fairness and impartiality are central tenets of our criminal justice system,” Trump’s legal team wrote in the filing.

“Both a defendant and the public are entitled to a full hearing on all relevant issues by a court that has not prejudged the defendant’s guilt and whose neutrality cannot reasonably be questioned,” it added.

Trump is charged in Washington with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction and attempted obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights.

The indictment alleged that after the then-president lost the Nov. 3, 2020, election to Democrat Joe Biden, he engaged in a conspiracy and multiple schemes to “overturn the legitimate results” of the presidential election with false claims of voter fraud.

Chutkan ruled on August 28 that the trial would begin on March 4, 2024. One day before Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen Republican and Democratic states will hold simultaneous contests to select their presidential nominees.

Trump noted in his motion that the judge has suggested in connection with other cases that he should be indicted and convicted.

His lawyers argue in the court filing that even if Chutkan “genuinely intends” to give Trump a fair trial, her past statements suggesting he should be prosecuted “would inevitably taint these proceedings.”

Trump asked the judge to recuse herself from the case to preserve impartiality, and demanded that his request be addressed immediately.

The former president faces four criminal charges: two for election interference in Washington and Georgia, another in Florida for removing classified documents from the White House after leaving power, and the fourth in New York for irregular payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about a past “affair” during the 2016 campaign.EFE

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