Trump Demands Judges’ Recusal in Social Media Rant as Extension Plea Is Rejected in Poll Conspiracy Case

In a flurry of social media activity, former president Donald Trump attacked United States District Court Judge, Tanya Chutkan, without specifically naming her in a heated all-caps rant on his Truth Social platform. The outburst came in response to the judge's decision to deny his request for a three-day extension to respond to a motion for a protective order, requested by the Department of Justice, reports Raw Story.

Trump launched into a rant against Judge Chutkan without holding back, criticizing her involvement in a "ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case" without providing any more details. "Everyone knows this, and so does she," he insisted. The former president also declared that his legal team will seek the judge's instant recusal on "very powerful grounds" and urged that the trial's location be changed so that it would not take place in DC.

Former President Donald Trump found himself in disagreement with the law amid legal issues he is facing after receiving his third indictment in just a few months. His case was being presided over by Judge Chutkan, a Barack Obama appointee renowned for her unbiased judgments. The judge gave Trump's legal team until Monday to reply to the Department of Justice's request for an injunction to stop him from making any more public remarks.

Judge Chutkan swiftly turned down Trump's legal team's request for a three-day extension to file their response. The former president responded to this refusal with an ill-advised, all-caps rant on his Truth Social platform, where he expressed his resentment and claimed he couldn't have a fair trial with the judge "assigned" to his case, per Uproxx.

He wrote, "THERE IS NO WAY I CAN GET A FAIR TRIAL WITH THE JUDGE “ASSIGNED” TO THE RIDICULOUS FREEDOM OF SPEECH/FAIR ELECTIONS CASE." He continued, "EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS, AND SO DOES SHE! WE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKING FOR RECUSAL OF THIS JUDGE ON VERY POWERFUL GROUNDS, AND LIKEWISE FOR VENUE CHANGE, OUT OF D.C."

In another post, he targeted Jack Smith, writing, "DERANGED JACK SMITH AND OUR HIGHLY PARTISAN, AND VERY CORRUPT, DEPARTMENT OF INJUSTICE, COULD HAVE BROUGHT THIS BIDIN “OPPONENT” CASE YEARS AGO, BUT CHOSE TO WAIT AND BRING IT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MY ELECTION CAMPAIGN. NO WAY!!!" He added, "I HOPE YOU ARE WATCHING AMERICA. OUR COUNTRY IS BEING DESTROYED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Naturally, the posts drew a lot of criticism, prompting questions about his adherence to the law and the possible outcomes of his conduct. His annoyance seems to be heightened by Judge Chutkan's prior rulings opposing Trump's attempts to hide evidence from the House's January 6 Committee as well as her objectivity in handling cases.

It is unknown what justifications Trump's legal team would use to ask the judge to recuse herself from the case because such requests are rarely granted. Recusal is typically requested because of potential impartiality based on financial investments or interpersonal relationships, personal bias, or prejudice, reports Forbes. Negative decisions, familiarity with parties or events, or direct criticism of the judge are, in most cases, insufficient grounds for recusal.

References:

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-chutkan/

https://uproxx.com/viral/trump-all-caps-rant-against-judge-chutkan/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/mollybohannon/2023/08/06/trump-demands-judge-recuse-herself-from-jan-6-criminal-case-heres-why-thats-unlikely/?sh=6857980e5259

https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/what-does-the-law-say-about-recusing-judge-cannon

https://twitter.com/TeaPainUSA/status/1688365706436296704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw