Former President Trump went on a wild social media rant Friday evening, targeting the judge overseeing his hush money trial and suggesting that the charges against him stemmed from a trivial “bookkeeping error.”
“The so-called ‘bookkeeping error’ that I’m being unconstitutionally prosecuted for is because an innocent and brilliant bookkeeper, accurately and heroically, labeled a ‘Legal Expense’ as exactly that—a ‘Legal Expense,’” Trump exclaimed on Truth Social, referencing the payment to his former fixer, Michael Cohen. “In even simpler terms, I called a LEGAL EXPENSE, a LEGAL EXPENSE!”
“WHAT ELSE COULD IT BE?” he thundered. “ANOTHER [President Biden] INSPIRED ELECTION INTERFERENCE SCAM!!!”
Facing 34 counts of falsifying business records, Trump is accused of reimbursing Cohen for a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016 to keep her quiet about an alleged affair, which Trump denies ever occurred.
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“When the shameless District Attorney and his band of cronies, with FULL BACKING, I assume, from the VERY BIASED Judge Juan Merchan, and the totally CORRUPT Biden Administration, who are all orchestrating this circus for ELECTION INTERFERENCE purposes, keep talking about a ‘bookkeeping error’ or ‘crime,’ they’re really talking about a bookkeeper, acting independently of me, accurately logging a Legal Expense paid to a lawyer as a ‘Legal Expense,’” Trump raged on in his Friday tirade.
“In other words, I’m being persecuted because a bookkeeper, who I never even met, simply selected ‘Legal Expense’ from a dropdown menu in the accounting software!” he added incredulously.
This latest outburst against Judge Merchan comes as the unprecedented trial—the first criminal trial of a former or sitting president—nears its conclusion. Both the prosecution and defense have rested their cases, with closing arguments scheduled for next Tuesday, after which the jury will begin deliberations.
Throughout the 16-day trial, 22 witnesses have taken the stand, including Cohen and Daniels.
The former president, who is the leading GOP contender for the White House, reiterated his claim that the case is a politically motivated attack orchestrated by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
“For this ludicrous charge, millions of dollars have been wasted on the PERSECUTION of a highly popular president (I got more votes than any sitting president in history!) and the current front-runner against the corrupt Joe Biden, who, if not for him, NO CASE WOULD HAVE BEEN FILED,” Trump bellowed in a separate post on Friday.
“Any fair-minded judge would have dismissed this charade, and neither D.A. Bragg nor any other government agency wanted to pursue it,” he continued. “We are up against a RIGGED New York justice system. WITCH HUNT!”
