Judge Tanya Chutkan denied former President Donald Trump’s request that she recuse herself from presiding over the federal case against him for his alleged interference in the 2020 election because of supposed preexisting bias, delivering yet another legal blow to the ex-president as he stares down four criminal indictments.
Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a motion from former President Trump that asked her to rescue herself ... [+]
Earlier this month, Trump’s legal team filed the request for Chutkan to recuse herself, claiming that she should be disqualified for having previously “suggested” Trump be “prosecuted and imprisoned.”
In Wednesday’s filing denying the request, Chutkan pointed out she never said those things, rather the defense incorrectly interpreted her reading of other January 6 defendants’ arguments as her own beliefs.
She also ruled the statements that Trump’s team claimed show bias do “not provide a reasonable basis to question the court’s impartiality.”
Chutkan, the D.C. district court judge assigned to Trump’s case, was key in unveiling evidence that was used against Trump, ordering him to release records from his presidency to the House January 6 Select Committee in November 2021.
“Based on its review of the law, facts, and record, the court concludes that a reasonable observer would not doubt its ability to uphold that promise in this case,” Chutkan wrote in the decision.