The judge in Donald Trump's Manhattan hush-money criminal case has rejected the former president's demand to step aside, denying defense claims that he's biased against the Republican front-runner because he's given cash to Democrats and his daughter is a party consultant.
New York Judge Juan Manuel Merchan acknowledged in a ruling late Friday that he made several small donations to Democratic causes during the 2020 campaign, including $15 to Trump's Democratic rival Joe Biden, but said he is certain of his “ability to be fair and impartial."
