Trump's legal team demands recusal of judge in hush money case.
Lawyers for Donald Trump have demanded the judge in his New York criminal trial, Juan Manuel Merchan, step aside because of what they say is bias and a conflict of interest arising from his daughter’s work for leading Democrats. Trump’s lawyers alleged that Merchan tipped the scales in two other cases by involving himself in plea negotiations for Trump’s longtime finance chief and requiring him to testify against Trump’s company in exchange for a five-month sentence. Merchan rejected such a request when Trump’s company was on trial. The hush-money case continues in state court while Trump’s lawyers seek to transfer it to federal court, which would remove Merchan.