|
"If this Partisan Hack wants to put me in the 'clink' for
speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a
Modern Day Nelson Mandela - It will be my GREAT HONOR," Trump
posted on Saturday on his Truth Social platform.
Trump was referring to Justice Juan Merchan, who will preside
over his trial in New York state court in Manhattan on criminal
charges of covering up a $130,000 payment before the 2016
election to porn star Stormy Daniels to buy her silence about an
alleged sexual encounter.
The trial begins on April 15.
The Republican, who is challenging Democratic President Joe
Biden in the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election, has pleaded not
guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and denies an
encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Merchan on April 1 expanded an existing gag order that had
barred Trump from publicly commenting about witnesses and court
staff to make clear it also applies to family members. He did so
after Trump disparaged Merchan's daughter.
The looming hush-money trial is one of four criminal cases Trump
is confronting ahead of the U.S. election. It could be the only
one to reach trial before the election. He has pleaded not
guilty to all and called them politically motivated.
(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Saint Paul, Minnesota; Editing
by Matthew Lewis)
[© 2024 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may
not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|
|
