On Tuesday, a motion was filed by the Trump administration to recuse the federal judge presiding over an ongoing federal case related to 2020 election interference.
Judge Emmett Sullivan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has been in charge of the case since last December, when it was filed by the Democratic National Convention. According to the motion, the Justice Department is now asking for Sullivan to recuse himself due to “appearance of partiality.”
The case in question is being pursued against Russian intelligence officers, who are accused of taking part in a campaign to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. The motion says that Sullivan’s alleged bias is due to the fact that he has been extremely critical of the Trump administration in the past.
Brett Shumate, an assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s Civil Division, wrote in his filing that Sullivan has “made numerous public statements about this litigation and its participants” and essentially accused Trump of wrongdoing. He added that the statements made by the judge “raise significant questions about his ability to adjudicate this particular case fairly and impartially.”
The Justice Department also noted that Sullivan has served as a political donor in the past, donating to both the Democratic and Republican parties. Furthermore, his wife has also been a donor to Democratic candidates.
Sullivan’s recusal is not the only recent challenge to the ongoing 2020 election interference case. The Justice Department also issued an order this week to immediately stop the collection of evidence related to the case, which could lead to even additional wrangling over the proceedings.
It remains to be seen if Sullivan will accept the recusal motion and step aside from the presidency, or if the case will proceed with him still at the helm. Whatever the outcome, the ongoing dispute highlights the deeply divided state of politics in the United States, with both Republicans and Democrats seemingly unable to agree on a number of issues.
