Actually, the judge should dismiss the case, with prejudice, based upon this request. That alone reveals that this is a political persecution, not an actual case with evidence before an impartial jury of one’s peers.
^THIS^
Also if a prosecutor ever asked me if I had any - "opinions or concerns about a former president of the United States being charged with a crime.", I would immediately ask them: "Are you referring to Clinton, Obama, or Biden once he is out of office?"
Very good point.
Unfortunately the best and the brightest aren’t judges - with a very few notable exceptions, mostly in the past.