'Flat ridiculous': GOP and Dem White House ethics experts unite to condemn Trump's judge recusal effort

Donald Trump's attempt to force Judge Chutkan to recuse herself from the D.C. elections case is "flat ridiculous," according to ethics experts who served in administrations of both Republican and Democrat presidents.

The former president recently asked Chutkan to recuse herself from the federal criminal action, claiming that her comments in past Jan. 6 cases were disqualifying because they appeared to show bias against Trump. Prosecutor Jack Smith hit back with a defense of the judge's past comments.

Now, former White House ethics czar Norm Eisen and Richard Painter, the former ethics czar for George W. Bush, have joined forces to show why the motion to recuse should ultimately fail.

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Eisen and Painter argue that "Trump will lose" this recusal battle.

"As ethics experts who served in a Democratic and Republican White House respectively, we think it is one that Trump will lose," they wrote. "We understand why some might at first glance raise an eyebrow at the judge’s comments. But a look at the law and the facts proves that the judge has done nothing wrong. She should not recuse."

They continue, debunking the argument that Chutkan's comments implied Trump should be in prison. Chutkan had said in a separate case that the defendant was there due to "blind loyalty to one person who, by the way, remains free to this day."

They added: "Trump argues this is a gratuitous suggestion that he should be imprisoned. But the context is to the contrary. Chutkan was addressing the topic only because the defendant herself raised it at sentencing, trying to shift blame away from herself and onto Trump.

"The primary point that the judge was making in response to Priola attempting to lay off her own responsibility was that the defendant and others like her made a culpable choice because they put their loyalty to one man before their loyalty to their country and democracy—which was true."

Read the piece here.