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Justice Juan Merchan has denied previous recusal requests by
Trump's lawyers. Harris is poised to become the Democratic
nominee in the Nov. 5 election, while Trump is the Republican
nominee.
In a court filing made public on Thursday, Trump's lawyers Todd
Blanche and Emil Bove said the political consulting firm where
Merchan's daughter works, Authentic, worked for Harris' 2020
presidential run and is working for Democratic groups this year.
"Your Honor's daughter has a long-standing relationship with
Harris, including work for political campaigns," Trump's lawyers
wrote. "She has obtained - and stands to obtain in the future -
extensive financial, professional and personal benefits from her
relationship with Harris."
Authentic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Merchan rejected a similar recusal request by Trump's lawyers on
April 15 before jury selection.
He also denied a recusal request in 2023, after an ethics panel
found that his daughter's work did not pose reasonable questions
about his impartiality.
Jurors found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying
business records, for having covered up former personal lawyer
and fixer Michael Cohen's $130,000 payment to adult film actress
Stormy Daniels.
The payment was made in exchange for Daniels' silence before the
2016 election about a sexual encounter she says she had with
Trump a decade earlier, which Trump denied. Trump won the
presidency by defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The criminal trial was the first of any U.S. president. Trump
has vowed to appeal his conviction after he is sentenced on
Sept. 18.
(Reporting by Luc Cohen in New York;Editing by Alistair Bell)
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