The legal drama surrounding President Donald Trump has seen a new name recently take center stage, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. Appointed by former President Obama and overseeing Trump’s recent indictment over activities related to January 6, Chutkan’s approach to her cases has raised eyebrows, leading to speculation that she may have a personal score to settle with the 45th president.
Chutkan’s recent decision to set a hearing for a day when Trump’s lawyers were indisposed sparked an outcry. Although the legal teams for the prosecution and defense agreed on a different date, the judge declined the motion to reset the appearance. This effectively meant Trump would not have his full counsel present. Such a decision immediately prompted critics to question her impartiality.
We looked thru the recent history of Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presides over Trump's DC criminal case.
Our findings? She's treating Trump worse than other defendants – including a meth dealer.
Let me show you how…
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) August 10, 2023
This isn’t the first instance that’s called her motives into question. Techno Fog, a reputable legal analysis account on the X platform, underscored how Chutkan adjusted her judicial demeanor conveniently for the Trump case. One glaring instance was her mandate that Trump’s team respond within a mere day to a sudden request from the DOJ, a pace that starkly contrasts her past decisions.
The Maria Butina case, involving an alleged Russian spy, and another case about a meth dealer saw Chutkan granting more generous timelines. One can’t help but wonder why the former president doesn’t receive similar treatment.
🚨🚨Trump's DC Judge – Evidence of Bias🚨🚨
Judge Tanya Chutkan's unfairly harsh treatment of Defendant TrumpThis past week, the Government submitted a proposed protective order in its DC case against Donald Trump. It was broad, proposing the Court restrict Trump’s ability to… pic.twitter.com/kLpxm9GiSr
— Sara Slade (@SSlade515) August 10, 2023
Perhaps the most startling discovery is her treatment of defendants in the January 6 Capitol protest cases. Judge Chutkan has been at the forefront of the harshest sentences, often surpassing even the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recommendations. Consider the Millers, where the DOJ suggested probationary home confinement, but Chutkan took it further, sentencing both to jail.
Now juxtapose this with other judges’ actions. Out of nearly 600 defendants connected to January 6, a significant portion — over one-third — received no prison time. But under Chutkan’s gavel, her stance has been unwavering. In one striking declaration, Chutkan stated the need for a “powerful message” to deter potential threats in 2024.
But not every judge sees eye-to-eye with Chutkan. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, has publicly voiced concerns that the DOJ was disproportionately severe with January 6 defendants compared to those involved in racial injustice protests following George Floyd’s death.
Chutkan has countered these perspectives, stating, “But to compare the actions of people protesting, mostly peacefully, for civil rights, to those of a violent mob seeking to overthrow the lawfully elected government is a false equivalency.”
While this ideological skirmish continues, Chutkan’s history with Trump comes to the forefront. Trump’s previous attempt to stop the National Archives from releasing certain January 6-related documents met a roadblock when Chutkan ruled against it. Such decisions haven’t escaped the notice of conservative stalwarts like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). He anticipated that Chutkan would make “ruling after ruling” against Trump.
Given the trajectory of events, it’s no wonder Trump has voiced his concerns. In a post on Truth Social, he stated, “There is no way I can with the judge ‘assigned’ to the ridiculous freedom of speech/fair elections case.”
