Is this the man who will test Trump? Judge who oversaw Trump Organization fraud case ‘arrives at New York court to read impeachment paperwork flanked by uniformed judicial officers’
- Judge Juan Merchan – who oversaw the fraud case against the Trump organization – is expected to try the former president
- Merchan was seen arriving at the Manhattan criminal courthouse shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday.
- It came just hours after a grand jury voted to indict Trump over hush money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
The judge who oversaw last year’s fraud case against the Trump organization is expected to try the former president over secret money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels.
Judge Juan Merchan was seen arriving at Manhattan criminal court shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday, just hours after a grand jury voted to indict Trump.
Merchan was said to be dressed casually in gray sweatpants, a baseball cap and a puffy blue coat while flanked by two uniformed court officers.
The judge oversaw the trial of two of Trump’s companies on tax fraud charges last year.
Both companies were found guilty by a jury and fined $1.6 million as punishment.
Judge Juan Merchan is expected to try Trump over secret money payments made to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016
Trump has fiercely criticized her impeachment, which he says is part of a “witch hunt” staged by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
During the trial, Merchan repeatedly disparaged the firm’s legal team, even raising his voice.
At one point, he chastised lawyers for submitting evidence late, something he called “inconsiderate to say the least.”
Multiple sources told CNN Thursday night that Trump will be arraigned next Tuesday with Merchan overseeing the case.
The allegations against Trump center on a $130,000 hush payment made by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and fixer, to Daniels, 44, during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The former president has always denied having an affair with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
But the case haunted him during his time in office after triggering a federal investigation.
Although the Justice Department decided not to charge Trump and the Federal Election Commission was deadlocked on taking action on claims the payment amounted to an unreported campaign contribution, the Manhattan district attorney was still analyzing the case.
Merchan oversaw the trial of two of Trump’s companies on tax fraud charges last year. A court sketch shows him rereading the counts in office on December 6, 2022.
During the trial, Merchan repeatedly disparaged the firm’s legal team, even raising his voice.
And it got a new impetus in early 2023 when Cohen met with investigators from the Manhattan district attorney’s office and word broke that a grand jury was hearing evidence.
Such hearings are held in secret. But one theory was that he was investigating Trump for falsifying business records in connection with the payment, by allegedly misreporting a campaign donation as legal fees.
That amounts to a misdemeanor. But that becomes a felony if it is committed in conjunction with a second crime, such as a campaign finance violation.
On Saturday, March 18, Trump said he would be arrested by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office the following Tuesday.
However, the arrest did not materialize and the case fell silent in recent weeks.
Trump responded to news of the impeachment with an angry statement calling it “political persecution and election interference at the highest level in history.”
“I think this witch hunt will backfire on Joe Biden,” his statement read.
‘The American people realize exactly what the radical left Democrats are doing here. Everyone can see it.
A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict former President Donald Trump for money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels
Trump criticized the allegation in an emailed statement. He said this “witch hunt will backfire on Joe Biden” and predicted that Democrats would be ousted from office.
“So our movement and our party, united and strong, will first defeat Alvin Bragg and then we will defeat Joe Biden and we are going to get every single one of these corrupt Democrats out of office so we can make America right again. big”.
And he was offered partial refuge by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has vowed to thwart Trump’s extradition from his state to New York.