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Trump Demands Judge In January 6th Case Recuse Herself... Which Is News To His Attorney In That Case

Yeah, Trump still isn't listening to his lawyers.

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Trump Grimace

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty)

Well, this is a move that was predicted by… well, everyone who has ever heard the words “Donald” and “Trump” together in the same sentence. After his indictment — his third of the year! — this time on charges related to the attempted January 6th coup, the former president went on social media to rant about it. And Donald Trump did not disappoint with posts jam packed with CAPITAL LETTERS, bizarre quotation marks, conspiracy theories, and plenty of name calling.

Also buried in the increasingly unhinged rants are glimmers of legal strategy. Like a possible venue change, something the GOP echo chamber glommed onto. Trump also previewed “VERY POWERFUL GROUNDS” for seeking a recusal of Judge Tanya Chutkan.

THERE IS NO WAY I CAN GET A FAIR TRIAL WITH THE JUDGE “ASSIGNED” TO THE RIDICULOUS FREEDOM OF SPEECH/FAIR ELECTIONS CASE. EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS, AND SO DOES SHE! WE WILL BE IMMEDIATELY ASKING FOR RECUSAL OF THIS JUDGE ON VERY POWERFUL GROUNDS, AND LIKEWISE FOR VENUE CHANGE, OUT IF D.C.

…Except Trump’s actual attorney in the case, John Lauro, does not seem to be on-board. As reported by Politico:

“We haven’t made a final decision on that issue at all,” Lauro said on a podcast hosted by Florida defense attorney David Markus. “I think as lawyers we have to be very careful of those issues and handle them with the utmost delicacy.”

But even after Lauro walked back those comments, Trump refused to let the issue go:

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On Monday morning, Trump was again hammering on the recusal issue, calling Chutkan “the Judge of [special counsel Jack Smith’s] ‘dreams’ (WHO MUST BE RECUSED!).”

See… this is why no one wants to represent Donald. But Lauro appears to have made his peace with it all:

“I think it’s a little bit different than our standard case where we would pull our hair out if a client commented on a prosecutor or a judge,” Lauro said on Markus’ podcast. “He feels strongly that he needs to speak out, and he also, in particular, looks at this prosecution as a political prosecution. I think, in his mind, it’s sort of fair game from a political perspective to make these comments.“

“I have a responsibility, certainly, as an officer of the court to conduct the proceedings in a dignified manner, and I will do that at all times,” Lauro added. “To the extent that I can make any appropriate suggestions to a client, I do. But as we know, David, sometimes clients follow our suggestions, sometimes they don’t.”

Yeah, Trump is definitely the kind of client that ignores the advice of counsel… which is ironic given the potential defense he’s been floating. But only time will tell how long Lauro can hold out in what is, quite honestly, a stinker of a case for him.

Earlier: Trump Baits Court With Social Media Rants About Jan 6 Case
Lindsey Graham Slams Judge In Trump Fake Electors Case. There’s Only One Problem With That…
Trump Plans To Request Change Of Venue To … West Virginia
Donald Trump Indicted For Trying To Overturn 2020 Election

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Kathryn Rubino is a Senior Editor at Above the Law, host of The Jabot podcast, and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter @Kathryn1 or Mastodon @Kathryn1@mastodon.social.

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