Trump hush money trial is blatant election interference designed to keep him off the campaign trail
By isabelle // 2024-04-17
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It is becoming increasingly obvious that President Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial is little more than an attempt to prevent him from successfully campaigning for president, with the trial not only seeking to damage his reputation and potentially put him behind bars but also physically keeping him off the campaign trail. Trump is the first former American president to stand trial on criminal charges. The trial relates to alleged hush money payments that were made by his former attorney, Michael Cohen, to porn star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election. Cohen claims that he paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair that she had with Trump, although Trump has denied having a relationship with her. Cohen pleaded guilty to charges of tax fraud, bank fraud and campaign finance violations in 2018 and served 2 1/2 years in a federal prison. Last year, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records and said the former president tried “to conceal damaging information and unlawful activity from American voters before and after the 2016 election.” He pleaded not guilty to all counts. Federal prosecutors had previously investigated this matter and declined to charge him over the alleged payments. After court adjourned on Monday, Trump called the trial a “scam” and a “political witch hunt,” and there are several aspects of the case that support his belief that the court system is being used to interfere with his chances in the election. First, the judge presiding over the trial, New York Judge Juan Merchan, has been a controversial choice given his daughter’s close work with Democrat politicians through her marketing company and his own alleged hostility toward Trump. This is a violation of state law barring judges from trials in which they or someone in their “six degrees of separation” has a financial interest in the outcome. Trump and his lawyers have requested that Merchan recuse himself, but he insists there is no reason to do so.

Judge requires Trump's presence in court for every day of his trial

He has also said that Trump is required to appear in court for each day of his trial, and any failures to show up will result in a warrant being issued for his arrest. With the trial expected to last for at least six weeks, with just a few days off, this means he will not be able to go on the campaign trail and reach out to voters the way his opposition, President Joe Biden can, putting him at a disadvantage in the election. The judge has already denied requests by Trump’s defense team to excuse him from being present at the trial next Thursday so he can attend arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in his presidential immunity case, and the judge has not yet responded to a request to be excused to attend his son Barron’s high school graduation ceremony on May 17. Moreover, Merchan has warned Trump that should he disrupt proceedings in any way, he will be held in contempt of court and possibly removed from the courtroom. He has also been banned from making or directing other individuals to make public statements regarding witnesses and others involved in his case, such as court staff, nor can he make or direct other people to make public statements about selected and potential jurors. Prosecutors have already accused him of violating the gag order three times. It’s clear that they are trying to find some way to keep Trump from being a viable candidate for the presidency. In fact, many believe the trial is already rigged to find him guilty, so it doesn’t matter if they find a reason to charge him for his conduct in court – they are going to try to throw him in jail one way or another. Sources for this article include: RT.com FoxNews.com
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