Earlier this week, it was revealed that the judge presiding over President Donald Trump’s case in Manhattan relating to ‘hush money’ payments made to Stormy Daniels is a nakedly partisan Democrat.
The judge, Juan Merchen, has repeatedly made donations to New York Democrats, and his daughter worked for Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris.
Merchan presided over another case against Trump in New York regarding tax fraud.
The NY judge not only donated to New York Democrats, but he also donated to Joe Biden’s Presidential campaign and a group called ‘Stop Republicans in 2020.
While people have already pointed out that this clearly calls into question Merchan’s impartiality in the upcoming trial against Trump, it also could make him subject to an ethics investigation.
New York’s judicial ethics guidelines clearly state that judges cannot make political donations to candidates or organizations outside of the state of New York, something Merchan has done multiple times over the last three years.
In addition to donating to Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, he also contributed to a group called the “Progressive Turnout Project” and “Stop Republicans” in July 2020.
From the FEC website:
Stop Republicans is a national group whose stated purpose is to resist President Trump and Republicans in America:
Yesterday, on the Stop Republican page, a group that received a donation from the judge who presided over Trump’s case reminded MAGA Republicans that “No one above the law.”
Many have accused Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg of election interference since his case could harm President Trump’s chances of winning his presidential race while helping the next Democratic presidential candidate to win their race. Shouldn’t the same be true for a judge who’s presiding over his case that’s donated to the Progressive Turnout Project, whose sole purpose is to turn out Democrat voters?
In other words, Judge Juan Merchan, who presides over Trump’s manufactured case in Manhattan, is passionate about helping Joe Biden get elected, stopping Republicans from winning elections, and pushing for more Democrat voters in upcoming elections.
His donations should provide enough evidence for Trump lawyers and the American public to demand Judge Merchan recuse himself from President Trump’s manufactured case.
Breitbart Reports– Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing former President Donald Trump’s case in Manhattan, violated New York’s Code of Judicial Conduct by making three donations to Democrats in 2020, which could be grounds for an ethics investigation, according to several legal experts and former prosecutors.
Under Section 100.5 of the New York Code of Judicial Conduct, sitting judges cannot “directly or indirectly engage in any political activity.” Prohibited political activity includes “(h) soliciting funds for, paying an assessment to, or making a contribution to a political organization or candidate.”
The New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics’s yearly-updated handbook makes this clear, stating:
A sitting judge may not make political contributions at any time, even to a U.S. presidential candidate or to a federal congressional candidate outside of New York State (Opinion 11-146; 22 NYCRR 100.5[A][1][h]).
Furthermore, the American Bar Association’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct states that unless permitted by law, a judge shall not “solicit funds for, pay an assessment to, or make a contribution to a political organization or a candidate for public office.”
However, Merchan — a New York state judge — made three political donations in 2020, according to public Federal Election Commission records.
