An angry Donald Trump emerged from the first day of his criminal hush money trial on Monday and addressed reporters.
The former president is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments intended to conceal extramarital affairs. Trump has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Trump addressed reporters outside the courtroom Monday:
We had some amazing things happen today. As you know, my son is graduating from high school and it looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son who’s worked very, very hard, and he is a great student. I’m very proud that he did so well, and I was looking forward for years to have his graduation with his mother and father there. It looks like the judge isn’t going to allow me to escape this scam. It’s a scam trial. If you read all of the legal pundits, all of the legal scholars, there’s not one that I see that said this was a case that should be brought to trial. It’s a scam, it’s a political witch hunt. It continues and continues forever and we’re not going to give me a fair trial. Is a very, very sad thing.
In addition, as you know, next Thursday, we’re before the United States Supreme Court on a very big hearing on immunity. And this is something that we’ve been waiting for a long time, and the judge, of course is not going to allow us — he’s a very conflicted judge — and he’s not going to allow us to go to that. He won’t allow me to leave here for half a day to D.C. and go before the United States Supreme Court, because he thinks he’s superior, I guess, to the Supreme Court.
We have a real problem with this judge, a real problem with a lot of things having to do with this trial. Including the D.A., because you go right outside, people are being mugged and killed all day long, and he’s sitting here all day with 10 or 12 prosecutors over nothing. Over nothing. Over what people say shouldn’t be a trial.
So I just want to thank you very much, but that I can’t go to my son’s graduation, or that I can’t go to the United States Supreme Court. That I’m not in Georgia or Florida or North Carolina, campaigning like I should be. It’s perfect for the radical left Democrats, that’s exactly what they want. This is about election interference, that’s all it’s about. Thank you very much.
CNN fact-checked Trump’s claim that Judge Juan Merchan wouldn’t allow him to attend his son’s high school graduation. Turns out, the judge “hasn’t ruled yet on Trump’s request to be excused from court” for the graduation. CNN continued:
Criminal defendants like Donald Trump are typically required to attend their case proceedings in person. Trump’s lawyers asked Merchan on Monday about whether their client could be excused for some events, including the graduation and the upcoming arguments in front of the US Supreme Court in one of Trump’s other criminal cases.
While Merchan didn’t let Trump attend next week’s Supreme Court hearing – because Trump has to be in New York for the trial — he said it was too early to rule on the graduation.
Trump sat through a full day of jury selection Monday. Ninety-six prospective jurors were vetted. “More than half were excused after saying they couldn’t be fair and impartial, and at least nine others were excused after raising their hand when Merchan asked whether they could not serve for any other reason.” Jury selection in the case continues Tuesday.
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