Trump Attacks Bragg, Judge Merchan Ahead Of Closing Arguments In Hush Money Trial

Marita Vlachou

May 27, 2024 at 11:24 a.m.·2 min read

Former President Donald Trump spent the weekend attacking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Judge Juan Merchan as his New York hush money trial enters its final stages.

The defense rested its case last week without Trump taking the stand. Closing arguments are now scheduled to start Tuesday. Merchan will then give the 12 jurors instructions, which are expected to last an hour, before they can proceed with closed-door deliberations to reach a verdict in the case.

In a series of posts on his Truth Social platform, the former president once again complained about the charges leveled against him, claiming the entire case is led by his main rival in the 2024 race, President Joe Biden, in order to damage his chances in November.

“There is NO CASE, just a Democrat Persecutor controlled by Crooked Joe Biden’s White House, a Democrat Judge, and a biased venue,” Trump wrote Sunday. “This is nothing but an Election Interfering Witch Hunt, and the American People know it! MAGA2024.”

Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records over a hush money payment made to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Trump has denied the affair and pleaded not guilty to all charges.

On Saturday, the former president also blasted special counsel Jack Smith for seeking a gag order for him in the classified documents case over his latest false allegations that FBI agents were prepared to shoot him during the 2022 raid on his Mar-a-Lago property.

“I guess they’re hoping they can silence me from telling the TRUTH like the Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge in New York City has done,” Trump wrote.

Prosecutors said Trump’s comments have “endangered law enforcement officers involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case and threatened the integrity of these proceedings.”

Trump has been charged with 40 felony counts, including conspiracy to obstruct justice, over his handling of classified documents after leaving the White House in January 2021. He has denied wrongdoing.

Smith is also prosecuting a second case against Trump over the former president’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

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