Resolution to oust judge in Trump case: 'Blatant political prejudice' will be introduced by Matt Gaetz
On Friday, GOP Representative Matt Gaetz said that he would propose a bill to investigate and reprimand U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who is in charge of the case in Washington, DC, involving alleged tampering with the 2020 election by former President Donald Trump.
Trump, 77, has called Chutkan, an Obama appointment, "VERY BIASED & UNFAIR" and requested that the justice withdraws from the case due to her handling of multiple prosecutions involving his supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Gaetz's motion to reprimand, condemn, and investigate the 61-year-old Jamaican-born judge accuses her of participating in "partisan commentary" on and off the bench that "calls into question her fitness as a judge," and asserts Chutkan is overtly biased against Trump.
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The Florida legislator issued a statement on Friday: "It is deeply concerning that a United States District Court judge would exhibit such blatant political bias from the bench."
"Judge Tanya Chutkan's extreme sentencing of January 6th defendants, while openly supporting the violent Black Lives Matter riots of 2020, showcases a complete disregard for her duty of impartiality and the rule of law," the attorney added.
Justice could be impartial, but the American people are not; we condemn Judge Chutkan's conduct in the strongest terms imaginable.
The resolution outlines several instances of Chutkan's comments, rulings, and deeds that, in Gaetz's opinion, cast doubt on her independence and integrity and show improper behaviour or the impression of improper behaviour.
Before her appointment, Chutkan gave "thousands of dollars" to Obama's presidential campaign. Gaetz also criticizes Chutkan for her remarks in October 2022 at a sentencing hearing for a rioter in the Capitol building, in which she regretted that Trump "remains free to this day."
The Republican lawmaker also brings up a "bizarre rant" Chutkan had in October 2021, in which she stated that "It is a false equivalency and ignores a very real danger that the January 6 riot poses to compare the actions of people protesting, mostly peacefully, for civil rights to those of a violent mob seeking to overthrow the lawfully elected government."
If Gaetz's proposal is approved, the House Judiciary Committee will also begin an inquiry into Chutkan.
Earlier this month, Neal Katyal, a former principal deputy solicitor general, suggested that Chutkan will fairly handle Trump's federal lawsuit, telling NPR that she's "going to approach the issues straight up."
She is incredibly well-known among lawyers in Washington, D.C. She is undoubtedly one of the most regarded judges in this city, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat, a prosecutor or a defence counsel, Katyal said.
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"And if anything, I'd say she has a reputation for being a judge who is slightly sympathetic to the defence. She was a public defender, so I believe that's probably where it comes from," he continued.
According to the special counsel Jack Smith's office, Trump's trial in the 2020 election fraud case is scheduled to begin on January 2, 2024.
The four felony charges against the former president, who is currently leading the Republican field for president in 2024, include:
Conspiracy to defraud the U.S.
Obstruction.
Conspiracy to hinder an official action.
Conspiracy against rights.