Former President Donald Trump called his New York hush-money case “political persecution” and an “attack on America” ahead of the start of proceedings in the first criminal prosecution of a former U.S. president.
Trump arrived at the Manhattan Criminal Court on Monday ahead of jury selection for his first of four expected criminal trials. Trump and his legal team are facing off against Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records to hide alleged hush-money payments made to the porn actress known as Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Trump assailed the case in comments ahead of the start of proceedings.
“This is an assault on America. Nothing like this has ever happened before,” Trump said. “Every legal scholar says this case is nonsense, it should never have been brought. … They’ve said it. People that don’t necessarily follow or like Donald Trump said this was an outrage that this case was brought.”
“This is a political persecution, a persecution like never before. Nobody has ever seen anything like it,” he continued. “It is an assault on America. And that’s why I’m very proud to be here. This is an assault on our country, and it’s a country that’s failing. It’s a country that’s run by an incompetent man who’s very much involved in this case.”
JUST IN — President Trump addresses reporters ahead of Day 1 of his hush money trial:
"This is a persecution like never before. It is an assault on America and that’s why I'm very proud to be here." pic.twitter.com/VW0CQKrtMq
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) April 15, 2024
Trump is the presumed Republican nominee for president to face off against President Joe Biden again for the White House in November.
The trial will be overseen by New York Justice Juan Merchan, who has had a tense relationship with the former president. Merchan has “gagged” Trump, or restricted what Trump is allowed to say about the case.
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Trump was first gagged last month from commenting on potential jurors or members of Bragg’s staff. The judge expanded the gag order on April 1 after Trump criticized the judge and his daughter for her ties to elected Democrats.
If convicted, Trump faces potential prison time. Each count carries a four-year maximum sentence, though Merchan would have wide latitude in deciding Trump’s sentence, potentially forgoing any prison time, according to CBS News.