World News | Judge Rejects Donald Trump's Latest Demand to Step Aside from Hush Money Criminal Case

New York, Aug 14 (AP) Donald Trump has lost his latest bid for a new judge in his hush money case as it heads toward a key ruling and potential sentencing next month.

Judge Juan M Merchan on Wednesday declined to step aside, rejecting the third such request from lawyers for the Republican presidential nominee.

Also Read | New Zealand Shocker: Foodbank Distributes Meth-Laced Pineapple Sweets, Apologises Later; Probe Launched.

All three times, they argued that Merchan has a conflict of interest because of his daughter's work as a political consultant for prominent Democrats and campaigns. Among them was Vice President Kamala Harris' 2020 presidential run.

A state court ethics panel said last year that Merchan could continue on the case, writing that a relative's independent political activities are not “a reasonable basis to question the judge's impartiality".

Also Read | NASA-ISRO NISAR Mission Launch Postponed Beyond February 2025, Here's Why.

Merchan has repeatedly said he is certain he can handle the case fairly and impartially.

But with Harris now Trump's Democratic opponent in this year's White House election, Trump lawyer Todd Blanche wrote in a letter to the judge last month that the defence's concerns have become “even more concrete”.

Prosecutors called the claims “a vexatious and frivolous attempt to relitigate” the issue. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)