Trump to seek new judge in election conspiracy trial

Former U.S. president Donald Trump said on Sunday that he will petition to have a different judge oversee his historic criminal trial and for the case to be moved out of Washington.

The twice-impeached Republican has unleashed a stream of invective against those prosecuting him or running the case in which he faces charges over attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and defraud the U.S.

His latest target: U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, the appointee of Democratic former president Barack Obama, who was randomly assigned to the case in Washington.

"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," Trump, using all capital letters, posted on his Truth Social platform.

"We will be immediately asking for recusal of this judge on very powerful grounds, and likewise for a venue change," out of Washington - a majority Black city that leans heavily Democratic, Trump continued.

Chutkan, 61, is one of a dozen judges on the Washington federal district court bench. Her nomination to her post in 2014 was unanimously approved by the Senate.

She has a legal history with Trump, having ruled against him in a November 2021 case in which she notably declared that "presidents are not kings." And she has handed down lengthy sentences to Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6 of that year.

She has rebuffed the Trump legal team's recent demands.

On Saturday, she denied their motion to extend a deadline for responding to the U.S. government's protective order request, which could limit what Trump and his lawyers can share publicly about his case.

Team Trump wanted to push the deadline to Thursday, but the judge said they must abide by the current deadline of 5:00 p.m. (2100 GMT) Monday.

Trump, the clear frontrunner thus far in the Republican presidential primary, has not only pushed back against prosecutors and the judiciary but has also denigrated Washington.

Shortly after his arraignment on Thursday, when he pleaded not guilty to the four charges against him, he spoke to reporters and called the capital a city of "filth and decay."

Trump's trial date in the election case is expected to be announced on August 28 at a hearing before Chutkan.