“It’s reckless, it’s dangerous and it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict,” Biden said from the White House, his first remarks since Trump was convicted Thursday by a Manhattan jury. “The justice system must be respected and we must never allow anyone to tear it down. »
Earlier Friday, Trump again denounced the trial, attacking the judge, prosecutors and witnesses. He claimed without evidence that Biden was behind the prosecutions — which were led by a state-level district attorney — and asserted that “we live in a fascist state.”
A day earlier, leaving the courthouse after the verdict, Trump complained that the trial was “rigged” and a “disgrace.”
The dueling media messages from the two leading contenders in the 2024 election come at an unprecedented moment in presidential history. A New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts on Thursday, making him the first former president to be convicted of crimes.
The former president attacked the legal system, including New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, throughout the process. On Friday, in response to these condemnations, Trump made several false or misleading claims during a wide-ranging press conference, bringing his long-standing grievances to the surface.
He also claimed that holding the trial in Manhattan, where most voters are liberal Democrats, prevented him from getting a fair trial.
“It’s a scam. This is a rigged trial,” Trump said, calling the judge a “devil” with a conflict of interest. “This should not have happened in this room. We shouldn’t have had this judge.
Biden, who announced unscheduled remarks on the war in Gaza on Friday, used the first part of his speech to speak briefly about condemning Trump, using the kind of direct language he has avoided so far in the intended to protect itself from political allegations. intervention in the matter.
“The American principle that no one is above the law has been reaffirmed,” Biden said, emphasizing that a unanimous jury found Trump guilty and that it was a state matter, not of a federal matter carried out by his administration.
The president also sought to portray Trump’s claims about a rigged and biased trial as out of step with his own view of the American justice system as a pillar of the nation’s democracy.
“Our justice system has been around for almost 250 years and it is literally the cornerstone of America,” Biden said.
Biden’s remarks were notable in part because his son, Hunter Biden, is expected to face his own jury soon. Hunter Biden was accused of lying about his illegal drug use on a form he had to fill out to buy a handgun in 2018. His federal trial on those charges is set to begin Monday.
Hunter Biden is also expected to face separate tax evasion charges in California in a case expected to begin in September, after prosecutors alleged he failed to pay about $1.4 million in taxes.
He pleaded not guilty in each case. The president has largely avoided commenting publicly on the matter, saying only that his son, who has long suffered from drug addiction, has done nothing wrong.
“The president and the first lady love their son,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Monday, declining to comment on the details of the affair as of June 3. “They are proud of how their son was able to get back on his feet and continue his progress, and they will continue to support him.
The 2024 campaign is closely tied to the justice system to an unusual degree. Trump is almost certain to appeal his conviction, and he also faces three other criminal cases – for mishandling classified documents and attempting to overturn the 2020 election – although they are unlikely to go to trial before the elections.
washingtonpost
