Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has denied former President Donald Trump's request for recusal in the "hush money" criminal case against him. Trump had argued that Merchan's daughter's employment at Authentic Campaigns, a digital marketing agency that works with Democratic candidates, created a conflict of interest for the judge overseeing the case. Additionally, Trump pointed to Merchan's donations to Democratic causes and his urging of former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg to cooperate against Trump in a previous case as grounds for recusal.

However, Merchan rejected Trump's arguments, stating that there were no concrete or realistic reasons for recusal. He noted that Trump had failed to demonstrate that his daughter's employment or the donations created an impression of bias or a conflict of interest.

Merchan also sought an opinion from the Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, which concluded that the judge's daughter's business and interests would not be affected by the outcome of the case. The committee also deemed the donations to be minimal and made too far in the past to create an impression of bias. Merchan cited these findings in his decision.

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office, headed by Alvin Bragg, declined to comment on Merchan's decision. Trump's lawyer, Susan Necheles, also declined to comment. The criminal case against Trump alleges that he orchestrated hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep quiet about an alleged affair during his 2016 presidential campaign.

This decision comes as Trump faces two federal indictments, one related to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and the other accusing him of retaining classified documents after leaving office. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in all the cases and has accused the prosecutors of pursuing him for political gain.

The denial of Trump's request for recusal adds to his legal challenges, as he potentially faces a fourth criminal indictment in Georgia related to efforts to overturn the state's election results. The former president is scheduled to go to trial in Manhattan in March of next year, though the district attorney has indicated a willingness to consider changing the date if other prosecutors request it.