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The Republican presidential candidate last year made a similar
request for Justice Juan Merchan to recuse himself, but the
judge denied the bid after an ethics panel found that his
daughter's work did not pose reasonable questions about his
impartiality.
In a one-page court filing dated April 1 and made public on
Tuesday, the former president's lawyers asked Merchan for
permission to file a formal motion for him to recuse himself,
arguing the trial would benefit his daughter's firm, Authentic
Campaigns, financially.
"It can no longer be ignored that Authentic's commercial
interests are benefited by developments in this case," Trump's
lawyers wrote.
Neither Authentic nor a spokesperson for the New York state
Office of Court Administration immediately responded to requests
for comment.
Prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's
office, which charged Trump last year, urged Merchan not to
entertain Trump's request.
"There is simply nothing new here that would alter this Court's
prior conclusion that nothing about this proceeding will
directly benefit Authentic or this Court's family member, let
alone this Court," prosecutors wrote in a Tuesday court filing.
Trump is aiming to delay trials in the four criminal cases he
faces until after his expected Nov. 5 rematch with Democratic
President Joe Biden. He has pleaded not guilty in all cases.
No U.S. President has ever faced a criminal trial.
In the New York case, Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying
business records to cover up his former lawyer Michael Cohen's
$130,000 hush money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels for her
silence before the 2016 election about a sexual encounter she
says she had with Trump.
Trump denies any encounter with Daniels, whose real name is
Stephanie Clifford.
On Monday, Merchan expanded a gag order restricting Trump's
speech about witnesses, court staff, and prosecutors to also
cover trial participants' family members.
Trump last week disparaged Merchan's daughter online, calling
her a "Rabid Trump Hater."
His lawyers have said the gag order infringes on his right to
free speech, which is protected by the U.S. Constitution's First
Amendment.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New YorkEditing by Chris Reese and
Bill Berkrot)
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