Will Scharf, lawyer for former President Donald Trump, told Newsmax on Friday that he was struck by something "very interesting" Trump said during his Manhattan press conference earlier in the day after being convicted by a New York jury on Thursday on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
"He said that this is much bigger than him," Scharf said on "American Agenda." "This isn't just about him. This isn't just about his presidency. This is about the Constitution. And that's really how we feel about this case: That this isn't just about the actual defendant in the dock. In many respects, our entire constitutional republic is on trial.
"When you have this leftist weaponization of the courts, when you have this unprecedented campaign of lawfare and election interference being waged against President Trump, we're facing very dark times in terms of just the future of the American republic."
After 9½ hours of deliberations, a 12-person jury returned a guilty verdict Thursday on all 34 counts. Trump was convicted of falsifying business records to conceal payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
Judge Juan Merchan has set the sentencing hearing for July 11, four days before Trump is expected to be officially named as the presidential nominee at the Republican National Committee's convention in Milwaukee.
Scharf said Trump’s legal team is "going to appeal this verdict," adding that it will do so "vigorously and quickly."
"We believe that we'll get it overturned on appeal because of how very lawless it is," Scharf said. "But in the meantime, the American people have been subjected to a terrible spectacle, and I truly do fear for the future of our Constitution and for the future of our country."
On Friday, President Joe Biden said the guilty verdict in Trump’s criminal trial proved "no one is above the law" and called it "reckless" and "dangerous" for people to question the legitimacy of the jury's verdict and the American criminal justice system.
Scharf said the "only reckless, dangerous and irresponsible thing would be allowing Joe Biden to remain in the White House one day longer than his current term."
"What we've seen from him and his political allies, this unprecedented weaponization of our legal system, it's absolutely outrageous," Scharf said. "It should offend all Americans, and I hope Americans keep that in mind when they go to the ballot box next November."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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