Exclusive: He criticized President-elect Donald Trump Judge Juan Merchan To deny his request to dismiss charges in the New York case against Trump, telling Fox News' Digital Democrats “they just want to see if they can get a pound of flesh because every case has failed.”
Merchan denied Trump's request to cast him Guilty verdict In New York v. Trump, brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, he has been scheduled for sentencing on January 10 — just ten days before he is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States.
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Merchan said there would not be a sentence that would include jail time, imprisonment, a fine or probation, but rather an “unconditional release” sentence would likely be imposed, meaning no penalty would be imposed.
“All of the major legal experts, including Andy McCarthy, Jonathan Turley, Greg Jarrett, and Eli Honig, have strongly maintained that there was no case, there was no case, and this was just a witch hunt,” Trump told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. Friday. “The judge is corrupt and I'm still under a gag order, and I'm not allowed to talk about the thing he doesn't want me to talk about at all.”
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Monday, December 16, 2024 in Palm Beach, Florida. (AFP/Evan Vucci)
Trump said Merchan is “a completely conflicted judge who is doing work for the Democratic Party because every other case has failed.”
“I did absolutely nothing wrong,” Trump continued. “This is a political witch hunt by Biden and the Justice Department.”
He added: “They want to know if they can get a pound of flesh because every case has failed, including the case of deranged Jack Smith, who is on his way back to The Hague after losing every case.”
“No one has ever gone through what I went through, and that's a disgrace,” Trump told Fox News Digital.
The president-elect went on to describe Merchan as “the most combative judge in the history of jurisprudence.”
“There has never been a judge so conflicted,” Trump said. “There was no case. He created a case out of nothing because he wanted my political opponent to win.”
Merchan imposed a gag order on Trump during the trial and has refused to lift the order.
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Merchant's gag order prohibits Trump from making public statements or directing others to make public statements about witnesses regarding their possible participation, about attorneys in the case — other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — or about court employees, the district attorney's employees, or family members of employees. . .
One case Trump has been barred from speaking about involves Merchan's daughter, Lauren Merchan, who is president of Authentic Campaigns — a firm that has done political work for top Democratic clients such as President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Judge Juan Merchan imposed on Donald Trump (AP)
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan launched an investigation into Loren Merchan's work for the Democratic affiliate. Lauren Merchan received more than $7 million in compensation for her work for Vice President Harris in 2020.
Meanwhile, cases against Trump in all other jurisdictions have been dismissed or have been paused indefinitely.
A federal judge in Florida this summer dismissed the case brought against Trump by former special counsel Jack Smith regarding his improper retention of classified records. Judge Jude Elaine Cannon of the Southern District of Florida dismissed the charges, ruling that Smith was illegally appointed as special counsel.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg arrives at the trial of Danielle Binney after a lunch break at the Manhattan Supreme Court Building in New York City on Monday, December 2, 2024. Closing arguments are scheduled to begin today in Binney's trial over Jordan's 2023 subway death. Indigo. (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital) (Julia Bonavita/Fox News Digital)
Smith's case against Trump over alleged interference in the 2020 election was also dismissed last month, and his office was closed.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all charges brought against him in the two cases filed against him.
Last month, the Georgia Court of Appeals excluded Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis and her team from prosecuting Trump in the 2020 election interference case.
The court did not dismiss Trump's indictment in its entirety, but Willis and the assistant attorneys general working in her office now have “no authority to proceed.”
“You can't have corrupt people like that leading a case and then having someone else take it over,” Trump told Fox News Digital last month in response to the ruling. “It was a corruption case, so how could someone else take over it?”
ATLANTA, GA – FEBRUARY 15: Fulton County District Attorney Fannie Willis testifies during a hearing in the state of Georgia case against Donald John Trump at the Fulton County Circuit Court on February 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Judge Scott McAfee is hearing testimony on whether Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade should be removed from the case for allegedly lying about a personal relationship. (Photo by Alyssa Pointer-Paul/Getty Images) (Alyssa Pointer-Paul/Getty Images)
“The case should be thrown out because it was started corruptly by an incompetent prosecutor who received millions of dollars through her boyfriend – who got it from her – and then they went on cruises all the time,” Trump said, referring to Willis. Her relationship with the former prosecutor on her team, Nathan Wade.
“So the issue is completely dead,” Trump said. He added: “Everyone should receive an apology, including these wonderful patriots who have been caught up in this for years.”
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith recently requested that charges against Trump be dropped in a case alleging his interference in certifying the 2020 election. (Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Trump spokesman and new White House Communications Director Stephen Cheung told Fox News Digital that Merchan's order “is in direct violation of the Supreme Court's immunity ruling and other longstanding case law.”
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“This lawless case should never have been brought, and the Constitution demands it be dismissed immediately,” Cheung told Fox News Digital. “President Trump must be allowed to continue the presidential transition process and carry out the vital duties of the presidency, unhindered by the remnants of this or any remnants of the witch hunt.”
“There should be no judgment, and President Trump will continue to fight against these scams until they are all dead,” Cheung added.
