(UnitedHeadlines.com) – On May 13, former President Donald Trump criticized Judge Juan Merchan following the testimony from his former attorney Michael Cohen.
As he left the court, Trump was asked about those who were with him in court on May 13, including Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville. Trump stated that they were in court with him because they feel the trial is “a terrible thing that is happening to democracy.”
Trump called it “a very sad day for the country,” going on to call Merchan a “corrupt judge.” He added that Merchan is “highly conflicted” and accused Merchan of stopping Trump “from campaigning.” He said the day would “go down as a day of infamy for the New York legal system,” adding that it is a “weaponized legal system.” He noted that the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels had already been investigated by the Federal Election Commission, who found there was “absolutely no problem” with the payment.
Trump continued speaking for five minutes about Merchan, reading comments that support him and his skepticism of the case from legal pundits, Republican lawmakers, and cable television commentators who agree with him that “there’s no case here.”
Cohen testified on May 13 that while Trump knew about the payment arrangements to Daniels, Cohen used his own funds to pay her the $130,000 payment, taking out a line of credit on his home. Cohen testified that he made the payment to Daniels because her claims of an alleged encounter with Trump in 2006 would have been “catastrophic” to Trump’s 2016 election campaign.
Under the gag order imposed by Merchan before the trial began, Trump cannot publicly make statements about witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, their families, and the family of Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Merchan has fined Trump $10,000 for violating the gag order 10 times. Ahead of his testimony, Merchan also banned Cohen from speaking publicly about the case.
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