“It’s not neutral”
Trump wants to force judge out of trial
September 12, 2023, 2:07 a.m
Trump’s lawyers want to have a judge removed who has previously handed down harsh sentences against Capitol rioters. One sentence in particular from Federal Judge Chutkan is likely to give the ex-president sleepless nights.
Former US President Donald Trump wants to have the judge responsible removed from his federal case in connection with attempted election fraud. Trump’s lawyers asked the Washington court to have Judge Tanya Chutkan dismiss the case. As justification, they cited several of Chutkan’s statements from the past and accused her of not being neutral, but of entering the proceedings with a predetermination.
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan.
(Photo: AP)
Trump is facing federal charges in Washington in connection with attempted election fraud. It’s about his months-long campaign against his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the violent attack on the US Capitol by his supporters on January 6, 2021. The 77-year-old is accused, among other things, of conspiring against the United States. The indictment accuses Trump of claiming, contrary to his better judgment, that the election was fraudulent. He repeated this unsubstantiated accusation in order to provoke a mood of distrust and anger across the country and to undermine public confidence in the conduct of the election. Trump has rejected the allegations in connection with the storming of the Capitol. His campaign team drew parallels to events in Nazi Germany and other totalitarian states.
“Still at large today”
In recent months, Chutkan had already led several cases against rioters who took part in the storming of the Capitol. She distinguished herself with particularly harsh judgments. In one of the proceedings, she stated that the rioters had acted “in blind loyalty to a person who, by the way, is still at large today.” This reference to Trump, among other things, bothers the Republican and his defenders. The meaning of this statement is clear: in Chutkan’s opinion, Trump is free, but should not be, they wrote in Monday’s motion.
Trump’s move comes as no surprise. The ex-president and his lawyers are trying in various ways to prolong the various proceedings against him through legal motions. The Republican presidential candidate is facing a total of four different charges in the middle of the campaign for a possible second term.