Donald Trump’s Defense Team Files Papers in D.C. Federal Court to Challenge Legitimacy of Federal 2020 Election Conspiracy Case

Former President Donald Trump’s defense team has filed papers in D.C. federal court to support his request that Judge Tanya Chutkan recuse herself from the federal 2020 election conspiracy case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. In an 11-page court filing, Trump argued that prior comments made by Judge Chutkan in two other Jan. 6 defendants’ cases she presided over “point to the unmistakable conclusion that the appearance of prejudgment will infect every aspect of this case and cause the public to rightly question the very legitimacy of these historic proceedings.”

Trump’s lawyers argued that the “core value at issue here is whether the public will accept these proceedings as legitimate; or instead view them as a politically motivated effort by the incumbent administration to take out its most vocal critic.” They also argued that Chutkan has made disqualifying statements critical of Trump during her handling of the sentencing of two Jan. 6 defendants.

In response to the filing, Chutkan said that she will not recuse herself from the case and that she has “no intention of doing so.” She also noted that the defense’s argument “fails to identify any actual bias or prejudice that I have harbored or expressed.”

The defense team has also argued that the case should be dismissed because it was filed after Trump left office. The special counsel has argued that the case is still valid because the alleged conspiracy began while Trump was in office.

The case is set to go to trial in June 2021. It is unclear at this time how the court will rule on Trump’s request for Chutkan to recuse herself. However, it is clear that the defense team is determined to challenge the legitimacy of the proceedings.