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Former President Donald Trump has initiated a legal move to disqualify US District Judge Tanya Chutkan from overseeing a criminal case against him concerning alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

The motion filed on Monday detailed the grounds for seeking Chutkan’s recusal, citing concerns of potential bias due to her previous remarks regarding Trump’s influence on the events of January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol. Trump’s legal team highlighted a statement by Chutkan during a 2022 sentencing hearing for a Capitol riot defendant, where she implied the rioter was incited by their “blind loyalty to one person who, by the way, remains free to this day.”

Trump’s defense interprets this as a direct indication of the judge’s belief that Trump “should be prosecuted and imprisoned.” They insisted that despite the judge’s possible intentions to remain fair, her “public statements unavoidably taint these proceedings, regardless of outcome.”

At the present moment, Judge Chutkan has not responded to the motion.