Former President Donald Trump railed Monday against the landmark trial in Manhattan Criminal Court, questioning why the district attorney’s office took up the case after other law enforcement agencies failed to bring complaint.
“If it was such a big deal, why didn’t the Southern District bring it forward? Who reviewed it and rejected it. Why did many other law enforcement agencies and groups Didn’t they look into it? Because it was shown to everyone. And very importantly, why didn’t the federal elections do anything about it? “It’s not statist,” he said.
“It’s not a state… It’s never happened before, I believe. It’s never happened before… where the state is trying to insert itself into federal elections. Ever. Nobody ever saw it. But, you know, the federal election completely ignored that.”
The Justice Department “effectively concluded” its investigation into Trump’s payments in 2019. And in 2021, the Federal Election Commission, the agency responsible for enforcing campaign finance laws, announced that it had dropped the case investigating whether Trump violated election laws for the payment to Daniels .
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg took over the case last year, announcing Trump’s indictment in April 2023.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media as he leaves court during his trial for allegedly hiding secret money payments at Manhattan Criminal Court April 22, 2024 in New York. Former President Donald Trump faces 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first of his criminal cases to go to trial. (Brendan McDermid-Pool/Getty Images)
Trump’s trial in a Manhattan courtroom began in earnest Monday, after jury selection last week, and heard from its first witness, former American Media Inc. CEO David Pecker.
Pecker was allegedly a key figure in a “catch and kill” scheme ahead of the 2016 election. “Catch and kill” schemes are considered tactics used by media and publishing companies to buy rights of a person’s story, but do not publish the documents.
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The lawsuit centers on a $130,000 payment made by former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to former pornographic actor Stormy Daniels, $130,000 to allegedly silence her allegations about an alleged extramarital affair she allegedly had. had with Trump in the early 2000s. Daniels reportedly spoke to the National Enquirer, which is owned by American Media Inc., about her alleged affair with Trump, Pecker allegedly contacted Cohen to “buy” Daniels’ silence about the alleged affair.
Trump has repeatedly denied having an affair with Daniels and has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Former President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower to enter Manhattan Criminal Court, Monday, April 15, 2024, in New York. Former President Donald Trump’s secret trial begins Monday with jury selection. This is a unique moment in American history as it is the first criminal trial of a former commander in chief of the United States. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
“During the election, TRUMP and others used a catch-and-kill system to identify, buy and bury the negatives “TRUMP then went to great lengths to cover up this conduct, causing dozens of false entries in business records to conceal criminal activity, including attempts to violate state and federal election laws.”
A court sketch depicts the third day of former President Donald Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan Criminal Court, Thursday, April 18, 2024. Jury selection for the alleged hush money case remains underway after two jurors seated were revoked earlier today. (Christine Cornell)
Trump said Monday that the payments to Cohen were beyond reproach.
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“This is an accounting matter that is a very minor thing in the eyes of the law, in light of all the violent crimes,” Trump said Monday afternoon. “This is a case where you pay a lawyer, and on the books they call that a legal fee.”
Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to US President Donald Trump, right, in federal court in New York, US, Thursday, December 14, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I’ve had charged for this,” he added.
Trump briefly made public comments earlier Monday, in which he called the case a “Biden” trial motivated “to hurt the opponent of the worst president in the history of our country.”
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“I just want to say before we begin: these are all Biden trials” Trump said before Monday’s opening statement. “This constitutes election interference. Everybody knows it.”
“I’m here instead of being able to campaign in Pennsylvania, Georgia and many other places, and it’s very unfair. Fortunately, the poll numbers are very good,” Trump continued. “They have increased because people understand what is happening.”
