The judge involved in former President Donald Trump's indictment has a history of working on cases related to him.
Judge Juan Merchan has already presided over two cases involving Trump's real estate firm and his former CFO.
Donald Trump indicted: Presiding judge has history of overseeing Trump-related cases https://t.co/cMfdWJRMvy
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) April 3, 2023
"The basis for Trump’s assessment, made on Truth Social Friday, is that the judge, Juan Merchan, presided over two unrelated criminal tax fraud cases involving Trump’s real estate firm and his former CFO, both of which resulted in outcomes unfavorable to the defense," Politico reported.
"In the case of former CFO Allen Weisselberg, Merchan, citing corporate greed, said he would have imposed a “stiffer sentence” than the five months jail time the ex-executive got from a plea deal," it added.
Who is Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing Trump’s arraignment https://t.co/4dOwD8805l pic.twitter.com/KnBzp15Pvi
— The Hill (@thehill) April 3, 2023
"Merchan has spent years working in the New York City court system. He worked as an assistant attorney general in-charge in Nassau County and Suffolk County in the early 2000s, and was appointed by then-Mayor Mike Bloomberg in 2006 to be a judge in the Bronx family court," The Hill noted.
"Since 2009, Merchan has served as an acting justice on the State Supreme Court, presiding over felony criminal trials," it added.
— DL Hughley (@RealDLHughley) March 31, 2023
"Trump went after Merchan by name in a post on his social media site TruthSocial on Friday morning," according to CBS News.
"The Judge 'assigned' to my Witch Hunt Case, a 'Case' that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME. His name is Juan Manuel Marchan," Trump wrote, misspelling the judge's last name, according to the report.
Trump's case involves charges related to a payment of $130,000 paid to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.
The allegations claim that Trump illegally made the payment over allegations of an affair a decade earlier.
The charges were paid through Trump's former attorney and Daniels previously signed a non-disclosure agreement.
The case will now include Trump, a grand jury, and a judge involved in two of his former cases in actions that could have strong consequences for the 2024 presidential election. Some believe a guilty plea will make him unable to win, while others see the indictment giving Trump a boost and helping him win in his comeback bid.