Former President Donald Trump has vowed to speak in his own defense at his impending secret trial in Manhattan – while his aides have vowed to keep him on the campaign trail while the case drags on.
“I’m testifying,” Trump told reporters at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago.
“I’m telling the truth. All I can do is tell the truth,” he said Friday. “And the truth is there is no case. They have no case.
The case, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, is of historic significance: it is the first time a former US president has been tried on criminal charges.
Jury selection begins Monday.
Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records for allegedly seeking to hide a single payment to ex-porn star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election.
The $130,000 fee was paid by then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen, allegedly at Trump’s behest, to silence Daniels over her claims that she had an affair with the billionaire years before.
Trump, who denies any relationship with Daniels, has pleaded not guilty.
He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.
On Friday, he said the trial was an illegitimate “witch hunt.”
“It’s not a lawsuit, it’s a scam,” Trump said. “This is election interference by the Biden administration.”
He also nearly violated the silence order imposed on him by Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who last month ordered Trump not to speak about a number of witnesses, members court staff and prosecutors, including Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo, a former Justice Department official under President Biden.
“They basically took their best guy, one of their best guys, and put him in the DA’s office to run it,” Trump complained – referring to Colangelo in every way but his name. “And that’s a shame.”
The trial in Manhattan Supreme Court is expected to last up to eight weeks, requiring Trump to stay in New York, not on the campaign trail, to attend in person whenever the court sits at 100 Center St.
But Trump aides said Saturday that what they called the “Biden trial” would give their candidate endless opportunities to control the news through daily media appearances at Trump Tower and on the steps of the State House. justice.
“Every time the president shows up in court, all the attention is on him and the message he’s sending,” a campaign official told CNN on Saturday.
“His trial can galvanize the nation if President Trump plays the game smartly,” former Trump adviser Steve Bannon told Politico. “It will be the centerpiece of his campaign.”
On hearing days, the campaign plans to hold both virtual and in-person events for its candidate — many of which, they suggest, in the New York area.
Meanwhile, on Wednesdays and weekends, when the court is not in session, Trump will hit the road for fundraisers and rallies, insiders said.
New York Post
