New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan denied for the third time a request by Donald Trump to recuse himself from overseeing the criminal hush money case against the former president.
On May 30, Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying New York state business records for the purpose of concealing a hush money payment to the porn actor Stormy Daniels, who says she once had an affair with Trump. The payment, made by Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, came in the days leading up to the 2016 presidential election.
Merchan is currently expected to sentence the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential nominee on Sept. 18.
In a three-page filing, the judge responded to Trump’s latest recusal motion, made July 31. While Trump’s attorneys argued that changed circumstances warranted the new motion, Merchan rejected that reasoning.
“Stated plainly, Defendant’s arguments are nothing more than a repetition of stale and unsubstantiated claims,” Merchan wrote in…