Former President Donald Trump has fiercely criticised ongoing legal proceedings, labelling them as “witch hunt” following a New York judge’s decision to set January 10 as the date for his sentencing in the hush money case.
In a posted on Truth Social Friday, Mr Trump further escalated his position against the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the court system, dismissing Justice Juan Merchan’s scheduled January 10 sentence as a politically motivated attack.
He said, “This illegitimate political attack is nothing but a rigged charade. “Acting” Justice Merchan, who is a radical partisan, just issued another order that is knowingly unlawful, goes against our Constitution and, if allowed to stand, would be the end of the Presidency as we know it. Merchan has so little respect for the Constitution that he is keeping in place an illegal gag order on me, your President and President Elect, just so I cannot expose his and his family’s disqualifying and illegal conflicts. I am the only Political Opponent in American History not allowed to defend myself – A despicable First Amendment Violation!.”
Mr Trump referenced various legal scholars and pundits who opposed to the case, saying “Every Legal Scholar and Pundit, including the highly respected, and sadly recently passed, David Rivkin, as well as Jonathan Turley, Elie Honig, Andy McCarthy, Alan Dershowitz, Gregg Jarrett, Elizabeth Price Foley, Katie and Andy Cherkasky, Paul Ingrassia, and many others, have unequivocally stated that the Manhattan D.A.’s Witch Hunt is a nonexistent case, which is not only barred by the Statute of Limitations but, on the merits, should never have been brought.”
This reaction followed a decision of a New York judge to set January 10 as the date to sentence U.S former and President-elect Donald Trump in hush money case.
The scheduled sentencing came days before Mr Trump would be inaugurated for a second term in office and would see him become the first American president convicted of criminal offences.
“Only by bringing finality to this matter will the interests of justice be served,” Judge Merchan wrote in a decision issued on Friday.
Judge Merchan noted that Trump is likely to receive a “conditional discharge” — a legal resolution where the case is dismissed if the defendant avoids further legal trouble.
“A sentence of an unconditional discharge appears to be the most viable solution to ensure finality and allow the defendant to pursue his appellate options,” the judge explained.
Mr Trump’s conviction stemmed from 34 counts of falsifying business records related to an alleged attempt to cover up a hush money payment made to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the final weeks of his 2016 presidential campaign.
Ms Daniels claimed the two had a sexual encounter years earlier, which Trump denied. The payment was reportedly intended to prevent Ms Daniels from going public with her allegations.
