Former President Donald Trump and his legal team have filed a new request to disqualify Judge Juan Merchan from his New York criminal trial. This action follows revelations about Merchan’s professional ties to Vice President Kamala Harris, specifically that Harris’s campaign was previously a client of Merchan’s daughter, Loren.
The appeal submitted on Thursday contends that Judge Merchan’s impartiality has been compromised due to his daughter’s financial connections to several prominent Democratic figures. Loren Merchan’s consulting firm, Authentic Campaigns, reportedly experienced a significant boost in business this year, nearly doubling its revenue from the previous year, with payments totaling around $8 million from Adam Schiff’s (D-CA) campaign alone.
The firm has also acquired new clients, including Dan Goldman (D-CA) and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI), further intensifying the political connections that could present conflicts of interest. Schiff, a prominent figure in Trump’s impeachment, along with other clients, has heavily utilized Merchan’s digital consulting services.
NEW: President Trump’s lawyers file a new request asking Judge Merchan to recuse based on presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris—a one time client of Merchan’s daughter, Loren.
Merchan still has a gag order in place prohibiting Trump from making critical statements about Loren: pic.twitter.com/G7CMfIkIpw
— Julie Kelly ?? (@julie_kelly2) August 1, 2024
Journalist Julie Kelly wrote in her Substack: “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.”
She added: “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, Judge Merchan postponed the sentencing until September, a delay that coincides with the peak of the 2024 election season. This timing has led to speculation about Merchan’s motives, given his family’s business interests and the potential impact on the electoral cycle.
Additionally, the gag order Merchan imposed on Trump remains in place, barring him from making public comments about the court’s legal staff or their relatives, including Loren Merchan. An appeals court upheld this order earlier Thursday, even after Trump’s conviction, thereby limiting the former president’s ability to publicly address the case and those involved until his sentencing.
Trump’s effort to have Judge Merchan recused is viewed by many of his supporters as a crucial step to secure a fair trial, especially given the high stakes of his ongoing legal battles, which could significantly affect his political future. Recently, Trump has also targeted Kamala Harris, the presumed Democratic nominee for the 2024 presidential election, as part of his broader political strategy.
Disclaimer: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.