Trump demands Judge Engoron's recusal after claim he got unsolicited advice from attorney
Former President Donald Trump moved for New York Justice Arthur Engoron to recuse himself on Thursday after claims the judge took advise from somebody not involved in the case.
NBC New York reported that Trump's attorneys filed a 24-page motion asking Engoron to step down from the case because a man claiming to be a whistleblower said he gave the judge his unsolicited opinion about it.
"[It] had been his intention to advise Engoron about the law in the Trump case and why harsh penalties would be bad for business in New York," WNBC reported.
"[Attorney Adam Leitman] Bailey told News 4 he had a longstanding professional relationship with Engoron, so he approached him in the courthouse to explain to him that a fraud statute at issue in the case was not intended to be used to shut down a major company, especially in a case without clear victims," the report added.
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Bailey first revealed the interaction with Engoron during an interview with NBC in February.
Trump's filing accused Engoron of failing to notify his legal team about the input from Bailey.
The former president's attorney sought a separate evidentiary hearing in front of another judge if Engoron failed to recuse himself.
Christopher Kise, Trump's attorney, told WNBC that they were issuing civil subpoenas to get any communication between Engoron and Bailey.
In February, Engoron ordered Trump to pay over $450 million in damages after he lost a fraud case brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James.