Former US president Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will make a petition for there to be a different judge to oversee his criminal trial and also for the case to be moved out of Washington. The former president, who holds the distinction of being only president to be impeached twice, is seeking to get re-elected in 2024 US Presidential Election.
Lately he has railed against those prosecuting him or running the cases against him. Trump faces charges for attempts to overturn results of 2020 US Presidential Election and defraud the United States.
Trump has now directed his criticism towards US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan. She is an appointee of former US president Barack Obama, a Democrat. Chutkan was randomly assigned to the case in Washington.
“There is no way I can get a fair trial with the judge ‘assigned’ to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case. Everybody knows this, and so does she,” Trump, using all capital letters, posted on his Truth Social platform.
“We will be immediately asking for recusal of this judge on very powerful grounds, and likewise for venue change,” out of Washington — a majority Black city that leans heavily Democratic, Trump continued.
John Lauro, Trump’s lawyer denied later on Sunday that any final decision has been made.
Lauro confirmed that they would be seeking a change of venue, but only after “some polling” and “quantitative analysis in terms of how people are reacting to the indictment.”
Chutkan, 61, is one of a dozen judges on the Washington federal district court bench. Her nomination to her post in 2014 was approved unanimously by the Senate.
There is a legal history. In November 2021, Chutkan had ruled against Trump in a November 2021 case. At that time, she had notably declared that She has a legal history with Trump, having ruled against him in a November 2021 case in which she notably declared that “presidents are not kings.”
She also handed down lengthy sentences to Trump supporters involved in storming of the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.
She has rebuffed the Trump legal team’s recent demands.
On Saturday she denied their motion to extend a deadline for responding to the US government’s protective order request that could limit what Trump and his lawyers can share publicly about his case.
Trump’s legal team wanted to push the deadline to Thursday. However, judge said that the current deadline of 5 pm till Monday holds.
