3 weeks ago
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump said New York Judge Juan Merchan "thinks he is supra nan Supreme Court," aft "prohibiting" him from attending arguments Thursday connected statesmanlike immunity, telling Fox News Digital it is "the astir important lawsuit successful galore years" earlier nan precocious court.
The erstwhile president and presumptive 2024 Republican statesmanlike nominee said exclusively to Fox News Digital connected Wednesday aft spending nan past 2 days successful a Manhattan courtroom for opening arguments and witnesser grounds successful his unprecedented criminal trial.
Trump had requested to be arguments astatine nan Supreme Court erstwhile it holds oral arguments astir nan erstwhile president's immunity connected Thursday, but Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding complete nan trial, rejected that request.
TRUMP TRIAL: FORMER PRESIDENT 'INNOCENT,' SAYS DEFENSE AS DA ALLEGES 'CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY'
"Because he thinks he is supra nan Supreme Court, he is prohibiting maine from going to nan statesmanlike immunity proceeding wherever immoderate of nan awesome ineligible scholars will beryllium arguing nan lawsuit — nan astir important lawsuit successful galore years connected nan Supreme Court," Trump told Fox News Digital.
The Supreme Court is expected to norm successful June connected whether Trump is immune from prosecution by Special Counsel Jack Smith retired of his investigation into 2020 predetermination interference.
Former President Donald Trump exits Trump Tower successful New York City, Monday, April 15, 2024. Jury action originates coming successful nan alleged hush money proceedings successful Manhattan Criminal Court this morning. (Probe-Media for Fox News Digital)
"Without statesmanlike immunity, nan presidency becomes a ceremonial position only, it will beryllium decimated," he continued. "He’s prohibiting maine from going. He is simply a extremist near Democrat."
When Trump requested to be nan Supreme Court arguments past week, Merchan told his attorney: "Arguing earlier the Supreme Court is a large deal, and I tin surely admit why your customer would want to beryllium there."
"But a proceedings successful New York Supreme Court… is besides a large deal," Merchan said past week, requiring nan erstwhile president to beryllium successful his Manhattan courtroom Thursday, alternatively of astatine nan precocious tribunal successful Washington, D.C.
A ruling from nan Supreme Court connected nan rumor of statesmanlike immunity is expected by precocious June.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump pinch 34 counts of falsifying business records successful nan first degree. Trump has pleaded not blameworthy to each charges.
"Virtually each ineligible clever clever and master successful nan state said that this lawsuit should not person been brought, that location was nary crime, that everything was done decently and that this is simply a lawsuit that should beryllium dropped immediately," Trump told Fox News Digital connected Wednesday.
"It’s an embarrassment to Crooked Joe Biden and nan Democrat Party who are duly opinionated down it and nan judge is wholly conflicted — wholly conflicted," he said.
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo makes opening statements arsenic erstwhile U.S. President Donald Trump watches pinch his lawyer Todd Blanche earlier Justice Juan Merchan din this courtroom sketch. (REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg)
"If falsifying business grounds is because a bookkeeper wrote down ‘legal expense’ successful paying a ineligible fee, that’s not falsifying," Trump told Fox News Digital. "They telephone it a ineligible disbursal — and that’s what it was. It was a ineligible expense."
He added: "It was ineligible fees paid to a lawyer — that’s called a ineligible expense."
NY PROSECUTORS REVEAL 'ANOTHER CRIME' TRUMP ALLEGEDLY TRIED TO CONCEAL WITH FALSIFIED BUSINESS RECORDS
Former President Donald Trump has been successful a Manhattan Criminal Court for astir of nan past 2 weeks (Angela Weiss/AFP via AP, POOL/AP)
Trump’s criminal proceedings stemming from Smith’s investigation has been put connected clasp pending a Supreme Court determination connected whether Trump is immune from prosecution.
Smith charged nan erstwhile president pinch conspiracy to defraud nan United States, conspiracy to obstruct an charismatic proceeding, obstruction of and effort to obstruct an charismatic proceeding and conspiracy against rights. Those charges stemmed from Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was progressive successful nan Jan. 6 Capitol riot and immoderate alleged interference successful nan 2020 predetermination result.
Trump pleaded not blameworthy to each charges successful August.
Meanwhile, Trump besides requested to skip tribunal connected May 17 to be nan precocious schoolhouse graduation of his youngest son, Barron.
"The different point is, nan judge is prohibiting maine from going to my son’s graduation from precocious schoolhouse — my boy Barron, who has worked very difficult and he’s a awesome student," Trump told Fox News Digital. "He can’t person his begetter astatine his graduation because of a vicious judge that’s wholly conflicted."
Trump and his attorneys had sought Merchan to recuse himself from nan lawsuit owed to his daughter’s Democrat-affiliated governmental work.
FILE - In this Aug. 27, 2020 record photo, Barron Trump right, stands pinch President Donald Trump and first woman Melania Trump connected nan South Lawn of nan White House connected nan 4th time of nan Republican National Convention successful Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Merchan’s daughter, Loren, has a activity domiciled and ownership liking astatine Authentic Campaigns Inc., which Trump lawyers opportunity "services exclusively Democrat clients" and is "the #21 classed vendor successful nan state successful relationship pinch nan 2024 election."
TRUMP FILES MOTION REQUESTING JUDGE IN HUSH MONEY TRIAL BE RECUSED AMID DAUGHTER'S DEMOCRAT-AFFILIATED WORK
Some of Authentic’s apical "featured clients" connected its website see campaigns associated pinch Trump opponents — including "President Biden, Vice President Harris, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Congressman Schiff, Congressman Jeffries, Congressman Goldman, Congresswoman Underwood, and Congresswoman Lee. The website besides features its activity for nan Democrat-backed "Senate Majority PAC," and nan Democrat-backed "House Majority PAC."
Merchan said he saw nary ground for recusal.
As for Barron’s graduation, Merchan has yet to formally assistance aliases contradict Trump’s request, and instead, has said he will make his determination based connected really nan proceedings is going.
Brooke Singman is simply a governmental analogous and newsman for Fox News Digital, Fox News Channel and FOX Business.
