Donald Trump's attempt on Wednesday to remove the judge scheduled to sentence him for concealing hush money payments was unsuccessful for the third time. Lawyers representing the Republican presidential nominee once more contended that Judge Juan Merchan's daughter's affiliation with a Democrat-supporting organization created a perceived conflict of interest, necessitating his recusal. In May, a jury found the ex-president guilty of 34 felonies for his role in silencing former adult film star Stormy Daniels regarding an alleged affair. On September 16, Judge Merchan will review a separate plea from Trump's attorneys to nullify the verdict and drop the charges, following a Supreme Court decision in July on presidential immunity. Depending on the hearing's outcome, Merchan has set Trump's sentencing for September 18. Merchan firmly dismissed Trump's latest effort to disqualify him, stating in his ruling, "Defendant's arguments are merely a reiteration of outdated and unsupported claims. Defense Counsel's reliance on, and apparent citation to, his own prior affirmation, filled with inaccuracies and unsupported claims, is ineffective. As such, Defendant's motion is again DENIED." A New York State ethics panel had earlier cleared Merchan to continue with the case, and the judge affirmed that "the Court will continue to base its rulings on the evidence and the law, without fear or favor, disregarding undue influence." Despite this, Trump's legal team maintained that Merchan's daughter's activities, including previous fundraising for Trump's opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, compromised the judge's impartiality. On his Truth Social platform, Trump denounced Merchan's directive restricting him from attacking the judge's family members as "suppression and manipulation of the vote." Trump, the first U.S. ex-president convicted of a crime, has been using all means to postpone various trials against him until after the November election. He is also facing charges in Washington and Georgia for attempts to subvert the 2020 election results, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.