OPINION:
For nearly 250 years, one of the bedrock principles of our constitutional republic is that our system of justice is blind. It’s one of the ideals that sets America apart and makes us the envy of the world.
This means the law must be applied to everyone equally regardless of race, gender, economic status or political affiliation. In the Trump era, however, Americans are witnessing the startling emergence of a two-tiered system of justice before their very eyes. Hillary Clinton’s classified email fiasco, the Russia hoax, the Mueller sham, the Hunter Biden laptop, the Justice Department’s ongoing protection of President Biden — the list seems to grow every day.
As we observe a deeply unpopular president authorizing partisan cronies to weaponize the justice system to jail his political opponent, it’s critically important for members of the judiciary to prevent this country-wrecking behavior from doing irreparable harm. This must start with judges going above and beyond the call of duty regarding conflicts of interest and even the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Look no further than the kangaroo court presiding over the Trump trial for the political charges being brought by New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a radical left-wing Democratic politician from the liberal bastion of Manhattan.
Mr. Bragg has decided to destroy his credibility to do the bidding of President Biden by prosecuting former President Donald Trump for alleged offenses so weak and hard to justify that no one else in history would ever be charged for the same thing. It’s textbook Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Quite predictably, instead of doing their jobs, the mainstream media are not asking any tough questions and seems fine with the lasting damage this charade will do to the American justice system as long as Mr. Trump is either crushed politically or found guilty.
The question at hand is whether the judge in the case, New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, should recuse himself because of conflicts of interest involving both himself and a member of his immediate family. In 2020, Justice Merchan made political contributions to Mr. Biden and a couple of Democratic causes.
The size of the donations is not the issue here. The issue is that Justice Merchan is a financial supporter of Mr. Trump’s political opponent and, therefore, biased against the defendant in this case. This in itself is more than enough to warrant a recusal.
Imagine if Hunter Biden were to draw a judge who has made political contributions to Mr. Trump. The left would call for a recusal in unison, and their allies in the liberal media wouldn’t rest until it happened. Sensible Americans fully understand the obvious double standard on display, but the coastal elites are too arrogant to care. This corruption and arrogance are causing Mr. Biden’s election interference strategy to backfire in real time.
But the conflicts of interest don’t stop with Justice Merchan. His daughter Loren is a liberal activist and political consultant who has worked for Mr. Biden and Kamala Harris. Not only is the judge a financial supporter of Mr. Biden, but his family has benefited financially from a lucrative business relationship with both candidates on the Democratic ticket. On her company’s website, it states that the firm “engaged 15,000 undecided voters in Arizona, surpassing the margin of victory” for Mr. Biden in 2020.
Loren Merchan was also named a “2020 Rising Star” by Campaigns & Elections, where she was described as a Democrat and lauded for “doing ground-breaking, historical work for clients like Jon Tester, Vice President Kamala Harris, Rep. Adam Schiff, and others. Authentic Campaigns is setting new industry standards through its commitment to diversity, transparent compensation, employee benefits, and more.”
Mr. Schiff — who has been trying to frame Mr. Trump and get him thrown in jail for years — praised Ms. Merchan’s company for helping him “build a digital program that has exceeded all my expectations.” You can’t make this stuff up.
The American people are very smart, and they see this for what it is. The Merchan family will benefit from the reelection of Mr. Biden, and therefore, they want Mr. Trump’s sham trial to end with a guilty verdict. Openly anti-Trump political activity suggests that Justice Merchan will do everything he can to steer the trial to a favorable conclusion for Mr. Biden. And that’s why the judge must recuse himself without delay.
This isn’t a tough call. If Justice Merchan stays on this case, no one with an ounce of common sense will ever think justice is blind again. If this judge is interested in maintaining the legitimacy of the judiciary in our country, he should do what is clearly the right thing and step aside.
• David N. Bossie is president of Citizens United and served as deputy campaign manager for Donald J. Trump for President.
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