Once again, the Democrat-run city that never sleeps (because those who run it are most likely on crack cocaine) will witness the spectacle of the continuing saga of the witch hunt against former President Donald Trump.
It is reported that Trump will return to New York City this week to be questioned by Attorney General Letitia James regarding her fraud investigation of the Trump Organization.
As reported in the New York Post, here is the breaking news:
Former President Donald Trump is due back in the Big Apple this week to be grilled for the second time by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is probing the Trump Organization’s business practices, law-enforcement sources told The Post on Monday.
Trump is expected to plead the Fifth — or refuse to answer questions to avoid potentially incriminating himself — as he did when he was quizzed by the AG’s office in the case last year, sources from multiple agencies said. He is due to fly up from his home in Florida on Wednesday night for questioning by James’ prosecutors at her Manhattan offices Thursday morning, sources said.
Last week, news outlets covered Trump’s arraignment in Manhattan on charges of hush money for days on end. During that trial, he pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to return to court in December.
In an apparent attempt to prevent him from running for president in 2024, the left throws everything they can at him, but their efforts appear to be backfiring. In every poll after indictment, he has risen, and it looks like he won’t stop anytime soon.
A New York judge presiding over Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump could be questioned about his own past actions and face an ethics complaint.
As a result of three donations made to Democrats in 2020, a number of legal experts and former prosecutors assert that Judge Juan Merchan violated New York’s Code of Judicial Conduct, according to Breitbart News, which could result in an ethics investigation and potentially a mistrial if he continues to serve on the case.
As stated in Section 100.5 of the New York Code of Judicial Conduct, judges can’t “directly or indirectly engage in any political activity.” In particular, judges are prohibited from: “(h) soliciting funds for, paying an assessment to, or making a contribution to a political organization or candidate.”
This is clearly stated in the yearly handbook of the New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics: “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]).”
Also, in accordance with the American Bar Association’s Model Code of Judicial Conduct, a judge may not, unless allowed by law, “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,” Breitbart reported.
A search of the Federal Election Commission records reveals that Merchan contributed $15.00, through ActBlue, to Biden for President, Trump’s opponent, on July 26, 2020.
He then made a donation of $10.00 to the Progressive Turnout Project, an organization dedicated to encouraging Democratic voters to participate in the election.
“Additionally, he donated $10.00 to Stop Republicans, which is part of the Progressive Turnout Project that aims to resist the Republican Party and Donald Trump’s “radical right-wing legacy,” also through ActBlue,” according to Conservative Brief.
MISTRIAL https://t.co/Jt2KDd8zQW
— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) April 7, 2023
Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing Trump case, donated to Biden campaign in 2020 https://t.co/fR5M4y9uka pic.twitter.com/ms4LfSmWXL
— New York Post (@nypost) April 7, 2023
Several prosecutors and other legal figures are pointing out how problematic this is.
“While the amounts here are minimal, it’s surprising that a sitting judge would make political donations of any size to a partisan candidate or cause,” said Elie Honig, a senior CNN legal analyst, and former federal prosecutor.
Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics professor at New York University, said that regardless of the amount, such donations are not permitted under New York’s own rules.
“The contribution to Biden and possibly the one to ‘Stop Republicans’ would be forbidden unless there is some other explanation that would allow them, he said.
Gillers stated that any violations of the N.Y. Code of Judicial Conduct would be investigated by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct and could lead to removal.
“Violations can lead to a warning, private discipline, public discipline, and more serious sanctions like removal. Serious discipline (e.g. removal) is decided by the N.Y. Court of Appeals,” he said.
Founder of a conservative judicial activism group and former GOP chief counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mike Davis, asserted that: “He donated to Joe Biden’s campaign. He should get off this case. And this judge has a history, with President Trump, in prior cases. He finds out that this judge actually donated to Biden’s campaign. So, that at least raises the appearance of impartiality – the appearance that this judge could not be impartial against President Trump.”
The political donations were deemed an “unforced error” by Karen Friedman Agnifilo, a CNN legal analyst.
“Judge Merchan has a reputation of being a fair down-the-middle judge, however, donating to a defendant’s political rival can cause the appearance of a conflict, even where there is none, and creates an unforced error, in this case, involving Trump,” she explained.
