Juan Merchan

Trump’s lawyers said the judge’s daughter has ‘a direct financial interest in these proceedings’ due to her ownership stake at Authentic Campaigns.

The defense argues that publicity over the first-ever criminal trial of a former president, slated April 15, would make seating an impartial jury impossible.

Records show that the wife of the judge presiding over President Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan once worked for AG Letitia James, sparking claims of bias.

The beefed-up order does not bar comments about the judge himself or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat.

Judge Juan Merchan allowed the former president’s team to file another motion.

Former President Donald Trump and his legal team derided the case as ‘election interference.’