An ally of former President Donald Trump filed, on Tuesday, April 2, a complaint against US District Judge Reggie Walton, who appeared on CNN the week before and was openly critical of the former president. Mike Davis, the Trump ally who filed the complaint, alleged was something that was “judicial misconduct” because it would weaken faith in the judiciary.
As background, Judge Walton appeared on CNN to discuss remarks Trump had made about Judge Merchan, the judge in the hush money case, and his daughter. Trump, in a post on Truth Social, wrote, “Judge Juan Merchan, who is suffering from an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome (whose daughter represents Crooked Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Adam “Shifty” Schiff, and other Radical Liberals, has just posted a picture of me behind bars, her obvious goal, and makes it completely impossible for me to get a fair trial) has now issued another illegal, un-American unConstitutional “order,” as he continues to try and take away my Rights.”
Trump continued, blasting the gag order put on him ahead of the April 15 trial, “This Judge, by issuing a vicious “Gag Order,” is wrongfully attempting to deprive me of my First Amendment Right to speak out against the Weaponization of Law Enforcement, including the fact that Crooked Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and their Hacks and Thugs are tracking and following me all across the Country, obsessively trying to persecute me, while everyone knows I have done nothing wrong!”
Speaking about those Truth Social comments from Trump about Judge Merchan and his daughter during his appearance on CNN, Judge Walton attacked Trump and insinuated that the former president was making it difficult for judges to effectively carry out their duties and responsibilities.
He said, commenting on the comments being “disconcerting,” “Well, it’s very disconcerting to have someone making comments about a judge, and it’s particularly problematic when those comments are in the form of a threat, especially if they are directed at one’s family.”
He also said, “We do these jobs because we’re committed to the rule of law & we believe in the rule of law & the rule of law can only function effectively when we have judges who are prepared to carry out their duties without the threat of potential physical harm.”
Watch Judge Walton here:
It was against those comments from Judge Walton that Mr. Davis complained in his 13-page complaint. He said, the New York Post reports, “We are seeing a dangerous pattern in which DC federal judges, like … Reggie Walton have convinced themselves they have a duty — unbounded by the judicial canons — to make extrajudicial pronouncements about President Trump.”
Continuing, in the complaint addressed to Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals, he said that judges have an obligation not to “denigrate public confidence in the judiciary’s integrity” and that “It is much worse when a different judge — especially a sitting federal judge — thinks it is his job to moonlight as a CNN commentator on a pending criminal case in another judge’s court.”
Davis also said, “If the criminal defendant truly makes violent threats, a prosecutor can charge him with obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and related crimes.” He continued, “But we have entered very dangerous territory as a country when attorneys accuse a criminal defendant of making a ‘violent threat’ against a judge for simply raising evidence of the judge’s potential bias.”
Further, speaking to the New York Post about the complaint and what he hopes to accomplish by it, he argued that judges, particularly the generally left-leaning and political ones in DC, need to learn that they “cannot take off their political robes and climb into the political arena.” He said he hopes the complaint will send a “clear message” to the judge.
"*" indicates required fields