Former President Donald Trump and his legal team have launched a new request to disqualify Judge Juan Merchan from Trump’s New York criminal trial. The move comes on the heels of revelations about Merchan’s professional connections to Vice President Kamala Harris, whose campaign was once a client of Merchan’s daughter, Loren.

The appeal submitted on Thursday argues that Merchan’s impartiality was compromised, citing his daughter’s financial ties to high-profile Democratic figures, including Harris. Loren Merchan’s consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns, reportedly saw a significant increase in business this year, nearly doubling its intake from the previous year with payments amounting to approximately $8 million from Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) campaign alone.

The firm also lists new clients such as Dan Goldman (D-CA) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), deepening the political connections that would pose conflicts of interest. Schiff, a notable figure in Trump’s impeachment, and other clients have extensively leveraged Merchan’s digital consulting services.

Early in the trial, Merchan slapped a gag order on Trump and denied nearly all of his defense motions, only to find Trump in contempt two weeks later for violating the order. Despite the controversy over Merchan’s potential conflicts of interest, including financial ties to Democrats and a request by Trump for his recusal, Merchan remained on the case.

Journalist Julie Kelly wrote in her Substack:

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Democrats have paid the company owned by the politically active daughter of compromised Judge Juan Merchan at least $12.7 million in the first half of this year.

Federal election reports show Authentic Campaigns, the consulting firm owned by Loren Merchan, raked in the windfall between January 1 and July 1, 2024. Her father currently presides over Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Donald Trump in New York City.

The sum represents an 86 percent increase in Authentic Campaigns receipts from the same time period in 2022. Democratic elected officials, candidates, and PACs reported $6.8 million in payments to Merchan between January 1 and July 1, 2022, the last general election cycle.

According to the firm’s website, Authentic Campaigns specializes in “digital marketing and fundraising.”

After Trump’s conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records, the sentencing was delayed by Merchan until September, a strategic postponement until the peak of the 2024 election season, sparking speculation about Merchan’s motives given his family’s business interests and timing aligned with the electoral cycle.

Meanwhile, the gag order imposed on Trump remains in effect, prohibiting him from making public comments about the court’s legal staff or their relatives, which includes Loren Merchan. The order was upheld by an appeals court earlier Thursday, even after Trump’s conviction, ensuring that the former president’s ability to speak freely about the case and involved parties is curtailed until his sentencing in September.

Trump’s attempt to have Merchan recused is seen by many of his supporters as a critical move to ensure a fair trial, particularly as Trump faces multiple legal challenges that could have significant implications for his political future. In recent weeks, former President Trump has gone after Kamala Harris, who is the presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election.

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