Former President Donald Trump, speaking Friday to reporters before entering the Manhattan courtroom where his criminal trial continues, accused Judge Juan Merchan of trying to make the case against him as "salacious as possible" by "allowing testimony that has nothing to do with the case."
"He wants to make it a salacious case, to try and hurt Trump, but it's having the opposite effect," Trump said. "He's allowing things in, but nothing for us. He gives everything to the corrupt DA [Alvin Bragg]. You have a corrupt DA that's not doing his job."
Trump also railed against Merchan's ongoing gag order.
Thursday, the judge signaled that he may impose more fines against Trump over violations of a gag order prohibiting him from speaking about the witnesses and jury in the case.
Earlier this week, Trump was fined $9,000 for nine violations of the court order.
"The gag order stops me from talking about people and responding when they say things about me," Trump said. "We have people saying things about me and I'm not allowed to respond. So this judge has taken away my constitutional right and as a Republican candidate and somebody that's leading Biden by a lot, I should be able to respond."
He said his legal team is filing a lawsuit "I think today" to fight the gag order on constitutional grounds."
Trump is being tried on accusations of falsifying business records to hide a hush-money payment to adult film actor Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Trump denies he had sex with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to the records charges.
Trump also spoke out Friday about having to be in court rather than being on the campaign trail to fight for the White House.
"We're in a courthouse instead of being in Georgia," he said. "We're in a courthouse instead of being in any one of I would say 10 states where I would like to be right now."
But instead, Trump said, "Now I have to go through this trial day after day."
He also pointed out that legal experts are noting in "scathing reports" that the trial "shouldn't even be taking place."
"Read Gregg Jarrett," he said. "Read Andrew McCarthy. Read in Mark Levin, who's been so great. Read all of them … [Alan] Dershowitz came out with a very strong article. Jonathan Turley has been very good."
Trump railed against Bragg, saying that he "sat here all afternoon long" while "nothing but violence is going on. He is the worst DA in the country. They must have 20 different DAs and assistant DAs in a room over the last couple of days over nothing. Over no crime. Everyone said there was no crime. Everything was legal."
The case, though, is because of "politics," said Trump, accusing the prosecutors and court of wanting to get President Joe Biden reelected.
"The judge is highly conflicted," he added. "He should not be allowed to be the judge of this case."
The trial, he said, is a "disgrace to America, and it's a disgrace to our court system."
"This is all New York," Trump said. "The people love me, but it's a Democrat deal going on to try and get this corrupt president [elected] ... this horrible president, the worst president in the history of our country. They are trying to get him elected with these three judges that I've had in New York and it's a disgrace, and it's an absolute disgrace."
Trump, also taking some time to campaign, said that his platform is to bring jobs and to fight illegal immigration.
"My plan for jobs is to drill baby drill, to bring energy down, and to close up the border," he said. "Our country is being inundated with criminals from all over the world … all of this is greatly affecting our country, and very negatively. Now we are going to make America great again."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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