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Rep. Matt Gaetz recently introduced a resolution to censure and investigate the federal judge overseeing the case against former President Donald Trump related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
Mr. Gaetz, Florida Republican, accused U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan of showing “open bias and partisanship” in her official capacity as a judge.
The push to condemn and launch a House Judiciary Committee investigation by Mr. Gaetz, a staunch ally of the former president, stems from comments that the D.C. judge has made about the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and Mr. Trump.
Judge Chutkan was assigned to oversee Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment levied against Mr. Trump earlier this month, which charged the former president with conspiracy to defraud the U.S., conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of an official proceeding, and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
She became known for doling out more stringent sentences to people charged during the Jan. 6 attacks on the Capitol than those suggested by prosecutors. So far, Judge Chutkan has sentenced roughly 38 people who were charged with Jan. 6-related crimes.
The legislation pointed to a comment that Judge Chutkan made during one of her Jan. 6 sentencing hearings in October 2021, in which the judge said that comparing the “mostly peaceful” protesting over the death of George Floyd to the “violent mob seeking to overthrow the lawfully elected government” on Jan. 6 was false equivalence.
Mr. Gaetz charged that Judge Chutkan’s comments raised serious concerns about the “fairness and constitutionality” in her sentencing of people charged with crimes related to the attack on the Capitol.
“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,” Mr. Gaetz said.
The legislation reinforces its charge of political bias against Judge Chutkan by noting that she was appointed to her post by former President Barack Obama a decade ago after donating “thousands of dollars” to elect the former president.
Mr. Trump has made similar comments about Judge Chutkan.
Earlier this month, the former president said on his social media platform Truth Social that the district court judge was “highly partisan” and “biased and unfair” for her Jan. 6 sentencing practices.
The former president’s comments follow a protective order from Judge Chutkan that limits what evidence, like sensitive material meant for the grand jury, that Mr. Trump and his legal team can publicly disclose.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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