Former President Donald Trump has launched an attack on Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over his hush money trial, alleging that Merchan has conflicts of interest and is working in accordance with the White House’s directives.
Speaking on Talk Radio 1210 WPHT in Philadelphia, Trump claimed that Merchan had substantial conflicts of interest in the case, which he asserted was being directed by the White House. ‘We have a conflicted judge. Totally conflicted. We have a situation that nobody can actually believe. Nobody’s seen anything like this,’ he said.
Trump also accused Merchan of rushing through the trial with undue haste. ‘And this judge is pushing it. He is the most conflicted person. He is so conflicted, he should not be allowed to be the judge of this case,’ Trump said. “And he is pushing it at levels, at breakneck speed. You heard it was gonna take two or three weeks for the jury. He did it in a few days.’
He further characterized the individuals orchestrating the trial as ‘evil.’ “They’re evil people. They’re truly evil people. It was nothing done wrong whatsoever,” he asserted.
Trump, the first former president in U.S. history to stand trial in a criminal case, has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg aims to demonstrate that prior to the 2016 presidential election, Trump paid or discussed paying two women—adult film star Stormy Daniels and former model Karen McDougal—to conceal his alleged affairs with them, thereby influencing voters’ perceptions of his character. Trump denies having affairs with either woman.
Trump emphasized that his trial was taking place in Manhattan, a predominantly Democratic area. ‘We’re in a 95 percent Democrat area, which they did. This all comes out of the White House,’ he said. “This is an effort to get Biden elected, and he’s incompetent, and he is the worst president we’ve ever had. This is an effort by the Democrats, and it’s a shame.”
Newsweek reached out to Trump’s attorney on Tuesday via email for comment. Merchan has issued a gag order prohibiting Trump from publicly discussing jurors, potential witnesses, court staff, or their families during the proceedings. However, the order does not prevent Trump from making statements about Merchan, Bragg, or the case against him.
On Monday, prosecutors informed Merchan that Trump had repeatedly violated the gag order. Merchan has scheduled a hearing on the gag order for Tuesday morning, without the jury present. Prosecutors have presented 10 instances of Trump’s alleged violations, including an April 13 post on Truth Social in which he labeled prosecution witness Mark Pomerantz a ‘disgraced attorney and felon.’
