Trump loses bid to recuse judge from federal election case

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday lost a bid to have a federal judge remove herself from presiding over his criminal election interference case in Washington, D.C.

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said in a court filing that her recusal was “not warranted in this case.”

The former president’s attorneys had argued that Chutkan made “disqualifying” statements about Trump in two separate cases related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Those statements, they argued, showed that Chutkan had prejudged the case and believed Trump “should be prosecuted and imprisoned.”

But Chutkan rejected that claim, writing Wednesday that “the court has never taken the position the defense ascribes to it.”

“Based on its review of the law, facts, and record, the court concludes that a reasonable observer would not doubt its ability to uphold that promise in this case,” Chutkan wrote in the 20-page opinion.

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates.