Former President Donald Trump has filed a motion to disqualify Judge Tanya Chutkan from overseeing his criminal case involving his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Trump’s lawyers argue that Judge Chutkan’s public statements referring to Trump would compromise his right to a fair trial in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
In the motion, Trump’s lawyers state, “Although Judge Chutkan may genuinely intend to give President Trump a fair trial – and may believe that she can do so – her public statements unavoidably taint these proceedings, regardless of the outcome.” They further claim that these statements raise reasonable doubts about Chutkan’s impartiality and whether she arrived at her decisions with bias against Trump.
It is now up to Judge Chutkan to decide whether she will recuse herself from the case. Last month, she scheduled Trump’s trial to begin on March 4, 2024.
This is not the first time Trump has criticized Judge Chutkan for her remarks. On his Truth Social site last month, Trump accused Chutkan of wanting him behind bars and referred to her comments during the sentencing of Christine Priola, one of the individuals involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. During the sentencing, Chutkan stated, “The people who mobbed that Capitol were there in fealty, in loyalty, to one man,” adding, “It’s a blind loyalty to one person who, by the way, remains free to this day.” Trump’s lawyers pointed to these statements as evidence of Chutkan’s bias against the former president.
Trump’s move to disqualify Judge Chutkan comes as he prepares for a potential rematch against President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential election. Meanwhile, he faces four pending criminal cases related to his actions surrounding the 2020 election.
As this is a developing story, more updates are expected to follow.