New York City, USA – Former President Donald Trump’s legal team has once again requested Judge Juan Merchan’s recusal from Trump’s New York hush money trial. This latest request comes seven months after efforts to have the judge step aside were initially denied by Merchan. Trump’s defense lawyers argued that Merchan’s daughter’s involvement with Authentic Campaigns, a digital consulting firm, creates a financial interest connected to the ex-president’s criminal case.

The defense team filed a letter on Monday outlining their concerns, emphasizing the potential for the judge’s family ties to influence the proceedings. However, prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office responded on Tuesday, dismissing the defense’s arguments and urging for an immediate denial of the recusal request.

This latest attempt to have Judge Merchan recuse himself follows a previous effort made by Trump’s lawyers based on political contributions made by the judge in 2020. Despite these past challenges to his impartiality, Merchan had ruled in August 2023 that he could conduct the trial fairly and without bias.

In their recent filing, Trump’s legal team highlighted changes in the trial’s circumstances since Judge Merchan’s previous decision, pointing to Trump’s status as the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election. Additionally, the lawyers emphasized the role of Merchan’s daughter as a partner at Authentic Campaigns, a firm that has worked with various Democratic clients on digital strategies.

The defense’s argument centered on the firm’s financial interests and their alleged use of the case for monetary gain. However, prosecutors contested these claims, stating that there was no direct connection between the judge’s family and the trial, dismissing the accusations as speculative and unfounded.

Notably, Donald Trump had pleaded not guilty to a 34-count indictment last April, relating to alleged falsification of business records in connection to a hush money payment made before the 2016 presidential election. The upcoming trial, set to begin jury selection on April 15 in New York City, continues to be embroiled in legal challenges and allegations of conflicts of interest.