” Equal justice under the laws,” or the tenet that entitles you to a good chance to make your case in court of law, is one of America’s fundamental beliefs. The Lady Justice monument outside the Supreme Court is depicted in a blind and holds a scale, which is intended to represent her objectivity and immunity from outdoor influences, and the scale to represent her objective evaluation of the proof in front of her.
However, President Donald Trump’s test is currently pending in New York, which threatens this fundamental principle of American self-government. Judge Juan Merchan, the prosecutor overseeing this trial against President Trump, is anything but what most Americans expect from their magistrates to be impartial arbitrators of the law.
On March 14, 2024, Judge Juan M. Merchan poses in his New York tanks. ( AP Photo/Seth Wenig )
Turns out, Judge Merchan’s daughter’s two top-tier Democrats have used the same situation Judge Merchan oversees in their fundraising batters more than$ 93 million to raise money for her company. Ms. Merchan, who formerly worked for Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ presidential campaign, now works as the leader of Authentic Campaigns, a kept- wing political consulting firm based out of Chicago. Adam Schiff, the extreme California Democrat who became known for his illegal lies in supporting the Russian collaboration fake, and the Senate Majority PAC, a big fundraiser for Democrat Senate campaigns, are two of Authentic’s best clients.
Since beginning fundraising off President Trump’s indictment in April, Schiff’s campaign has raised more than$ 20 million, according to campaign finance records, and Senate Majority PAC has raised a whopping$ 73 million. A deeper examination of the campaign finance reports reveals that Authentic Campaigns has received more than$ 10 million from the Schiff campaign in the past year and more than$ 15 million from the Senate Majority PAC since 2019.
Everyone who follows money in politics should not be surprised by the fact that Political campaigns and their associated consultants are profiting enormously from President Trump’s political persecution, but the fact that a judge with immediate family is one of the judges overseeing this case also creates a terrible conflict of interest.
On April 18, 2024, former US president Donald Trump is a witness at his trial in New York City’s Manhattan Criminal Court. ( TIMOTHY A. CLARY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images )
Any sensible spectator of this subject will come to the conclusion that allowing Judge Merchan to continue to participate in this case is unsustainable and will be a striking outrage to all Americans who believe in equitable justice under the law, significantly undermining the credibility of the case.
Judge Merchan claimed he had “examined his conscience” and was confident in his ability to rule fairly and impartially in an order that was issued last summer, and that he had refused to recuse himself. Who could possibly believe him, though?
If Judge Merchan’s own daughter is profiting from the case he is presiding over—substantially —how can he be trusted to be fair and impartial in his rulings? If tens of millions of dollars is not enough to spur a recusal based on a conflict of interest—or, at least, the , appearance , of a conflict of interest—what is?
Of course, there are other instances involving President Trump that are entangled in conflicts of interest and ethical violations. Although Nathan Wade had little experience in prosecutorial work, recent Georgian court proceedings demonstrate that prosecutor Fani Willis had hired him to lead the Trump prosecution. Through the Fulton County District Attorney’s office, Fani Willis has received over$ 500,000 in taxpayer funds over the past few years, which Wade then used to fund her lavish travels around the world.
President Biden’s Attorney General Merrick Garland authorized and appointed Smith to use the full force and resources of the federal government to investigate and charge his top political opponent in federal cases brought by Department of Justice ( DOJ) Special Prosecutor Jack Smith, with an emphasis on forging trial dates to directly conflict with the general election.
In August of this year, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis ( left ) and Special Counsel Jack Smith announced their separate Donald Trump indictments. ( Photos: Joshua Lott, Alex Wong/Getty Images )
Not in our constitutional republic, where we are used to witnessing these political witch hunts in corrupt foreign authoritarian regimes. Our public officials are seriously harming the integrity of our justice system and the idea of the rule of law as Americans continue to observe the effects of these false indictments.
Our constitutional system creates a “government of laws and not of men,” as John Adams once remarked. Our entire system of democratic republicanism is in jeopardy when political operatives and radical partisans use the justice system to crush their political rivals to maintain power.
The false accusations that President Trump faces should be dropped right away, but activist judges with whom the case has been personally benefited have no authority to supervise a trial this high. Judge Merchan ought to have resigned from this case so that Lady Justice can receive a blindfold.
Matt Whitaker, the former Acting U.S. Attorney General, is a senior fellow at the American Cornerstone Institute.
