NYC judge should toss Trump recusal bid in ‘hush money’ case, Alvin Bragg says

Donald Trump’s bid to force the recusal of the magistrate in his criminal “hush money” case should be tossed out as an improper bid “to select his own judge,” Manhattan prosecutors argue in new court papers.

The 45th president earlier this month said Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan should withdraw from overseeing the criminal case against him, claiming Merchan’s daughter’s company has a “political and financial interest” in the outcome.

Lawyers for Trump, 77, also argued that Merchan should leave the case because of $35 in political contributions he made in the 2020 presidential election and because he urged former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg to be a government witness.

Its not a "Hush Money" case. He is charged with falsifying business records. One felony count for each time he wrote "legal services" next to the payments he made to his lawyer. In order for the entries to even be a misdemeanor requires the entries to not just be untrue but to be part of fraud. Bragg has hinted in his indictment that the fraud was against the voters. While this is a stretch by its nature, it becomes completely absurd considering the entries were made after the election was over and Trump had won. Moreover, Bragg is claiming that an additional crime was being covered up by the fraud in order to elevate it from a misdemeanor to a felony. However, he insists he doesn't even have to say what this supposed other crime is in his indictment (apparently not being familiar that there is a Bill of Rights with a 6th Amendment that is explicit about defendants knowing the charges against them).

It is not illegal to pay "hush money" to an extortionist, and as such Trump was not charged with it. But I guess Bragg has to say "hush money case" in order to say something--I mean explaining the actual charges just won't do.

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