Many are questioning the impartiality of New York State Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is scheduled to preside over former President Donald Trump's criminal case being brought against him by Democrat Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, because he has a record of donating to Democrat groups and President Joe Biden.
And with Bragg having campaigned on bringing charges against Trump, Matthew Whitaker, a former acting attorney general in the Trump administration, told Newsmax on Monday it's a tough situation for Trump and his legal team to be in.
"We find ourselves with really no one of fair mind to oversee this case," Whitaker told "Spicer & Co." with guest host Bianca de la Garza.
Trump was arraigned April 4 on 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in the first degree. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Federal Election Commission records show that in a span of two days in the summer of 2020, Merchan donated a total of $35 to Democratic groups and President Joe Biden. He made a $15 donation on July 26, 2020, to Biden for President, and the next day made $10 donations each to Stop Republicans and the Progressive Turnout Project.
"All this does is he has raised his hand and said, 'I'm a Joe Biden supporter,' who is President Trump's number one competitor for the presidency in 2024," Whitaker said. "The fact that he's a Joe Biden supporter, that would for sure indicate that he has a potential bias.
"I think he should search his soul. But the problem is, once you get rid of this judge, what's next? It doesn't mean you're going to get a better judge in Manhattan."
Whitaker was asked if Trump's legal team could face any repercussions from Merchan if they seek a motion for him to recuse himself and he doesn't step down.
"Judges should be impartial and should never get angry, especially when people are trying to defend themselves from crimes that put them in jail," Whitaker said. "I would hope that he has a lot of patience for presiding over this case."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!