Defending? No, just pointing out that none of us bitched when the shoe was on the other foot in an eerily similar situation. I don’t recall a hue and cry from the right for Bush to recuse himself or his underlings, do you? Should she withdraw herself? Undoubtedly. Should Jeb Bush have? Same answer. The optics are bad, if nothing else. Or can you justify the Bush family and their actions?
Here lets all explain this to you ...in 2000 in Florida the COURTS decided what happened NOT the Governor.
Same thing is going to happen in GA and FLA again ..courts.
A judge is required to recuse if too many personal ties to a case in front of them.
I had a long reply mostly written until I came across this on the Wikipedia article on the Gore v Bush circus; "Though Jeb Bush recused himself from involvement in the recount, Democrats alleged there was still an appearance of possible impropriety."
So your point is moot, Jeb did recuse himself and Judge Leslie Abrams, the sister of the Democrat candidate Stacey Abrams, has not.