Judge Juan Merchan, the Manhattan judge presiding over the Donald Trump indictment, made political contributions to Democrats in 2020, including Joe Biden.
According to reports, Merchan donated $35 total to Democrats in 2020.
$15 went to Joe Biden.
Although the donations are small, it’s an enormous red flag that Donald Trump will not receive a fair trial in this case.
Even Fake News CNN had to admit this glaring conflict of interest.
Judge Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing Donald Trump's criminal case in New York, donated $35 in political contributions to Democrats in 2020, including a $15 contribution to the campaign of Trump's opponent, President Joe Biden. https://t.co/GeDgUWghqS
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) April 6, 2023
From CNN:
The political donations are undoubtedly small, but they nevertheless raise questions about Merchan’s impartiality as he has come under attack by the former president as a “Trump-hating judge.”
ADVERTISEMENT“While the amounts here are minimal, it’s surprising that a sitting judge would make political donations of any size to a partisan candidate or cause,” said Elie Honig, a senior CNN legal analyst and former federal prosecutor.
According to federal election records, Merchan made the three donations in July 2020 through ActBlue, an online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates and causes.
Merchan contributed $15 earmarked for the Biden campaign, and made two $10 contributions, one earmarked to the Progressive Turnout Project, a voter outreach organization, and another to Stop Republicans, a subsidiary of the Progressive Turnout Project.
Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics professor at New York University, said that New York, like most US jurisdictions, has adopted language from the American Bar Association Model Code of Judicial Conduct, which prohibits judges from “soliciting funds for, paying an assessment to, or making a contribution to a political organization or candidate.”
“The contribution to Biden and possibly the one to ‘Stop Republicans’ would be forbidden unless there is some other explanation that would allow them,” Gillers said.
But Gillers said that the donation “would be viewed as trivial, especially given the small sums.” He said if a complaint was made, the state’s Commission on Judicial Conduct would remind the judge of the rules.
Asked if this could be grounds for a legal challenge or recusal, Gillers said, “Absolutely not. This does not come anywhere near the kind of proof required for recusal.”
“Judge Juan Merchan’s Donations to Democrats Could Be Grounds for Ethics Investigation,” Lou Dobbs said.
Judge Juan Merchan’s Donations to Democrats Could Be Grounds for Ethics Investigation https://t.co/xgGOxaFGvJ
— Lou Dobbs (@LouDobbs) April 7, 2023
As Breitbart noted, other legal experts disagreed with Gillars’ comments that Judge Merchan’s small donations would “absolutely not” be grounds for a legal challenge or recusal.
Brett Tolman, former U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah and former counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Breitbart News that Merchan’s violation should lead to his investigation and recusal.
“This should facilitate a judicial misconduct investigation and the Judge should recuse because of such,” Tolman told Breitbart News on Wednesday.
Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a CNN legal analyst and former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office, told CNN the donations may have created the “appearance of a conflict.”
“Judge Merchan has a reputation of being a fair down the middle judge, however, donating to a defendant’s political rival can cause the appearance of a conflict, even where there is none, and creates an unforced error, in this case involving Trump,” she said.
Tolman said the appearance of a conflict could necessitate a recusal.
“A judge has two issues to address which could necessitate a recusal. First, is to determine if there is an actual conflict and second, if not an actual conflict, the judge must determine if recusal is needed to ‘avoid the appearance of a conflict,’” he said, adding:
I believe under either analysis, Judge Merchan should recuse himself. He has direct conflict by making financial investment in the direct opponent of Trump, an announced candidate for President. Secondly, the appearance of conflict looms large in this case given the donations, prior cases against Trump, and his daughter’s conflicts.
Loren Merchan, the 34-year-old daughter of Judge Merchan, works at a progressive digital firm that worked on several Democrat campaigns, including Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, and Adam Schiff.
The firm, Authentic Campaigns, lists numerous Democrat political candidates on their client page.
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