Former President Trump said he would testify at his hush money trial scheduled for New York City, but the judge overseeing the case said on the same day that a final attempt by Trump’s legal team to delay the trial, which begins Monday. refused.
“I’m testifying. I’m going to tell the truth. So all I can do is tell the truth,” Trump told reporters Friday at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago. “And the truth is, there is no incident.”
His trial related to charges that he falsified business records to conceal payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election is scheduled to begin on Monday.
Trump raises millions of dollars for Atlanta neighborhoods that want to leave crime-ridden city
Former President Trump, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, said he plans to testify at the New York City trial. (Joe Radle/Getty Images)
The former president and 2024 White House candidate was speaking to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Fla.), who was in Palm Beach to roll out a legislative package aimed at strengthening election integrity. ) and gave a presentation.
When asked if he planned to testify in a future trial, President Trump criticized his trial, calling it a “fraud” and a “witch hunt.”
“What they did was unbelievable. This was election interference and it has to stop. This is a third world country. This country has never done anything like that,” the former president said. said.
The New York City trial will be the first of the election year for the 2024 Republican presidential candidate.Trump begged Not guilty of all charges.
Trump files motion to remove hush money trial judge while daughter works for Democratic Party
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Manhattan Judge Juan Marchan will preside over the trial. Trump’s lawyers have filed a motion to have Marchan recused from the trial, citing his daughter’s Democratic political activities and alleged “hostility” toward the potential 2024 Republican presidential nominee. Ta.
Last April, Mr. Bragg indicted Mr. Trump on 34 counts of first-degree falsification of business records. The charges are related to allegations of hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign.
President Trump goes against script with Chick-fil-A visit, while Biden eats with Clinton
Bragg alleged that Trump “repeatedly fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal activity that withheld harmful information from voters during the 2016 presidential election.”
Trump’s trial comes as he prepares to challenge President Biden for another term in the White House later this year. Ahead of the election, Prime Minister Johnson vowed to bring to the House of Commons a bill aimed at cracking down on voter fraud that would require proof of American citizenship to vote.
House Speaker Mike Johnson touted election integrity during press conference with President Trump (Getty Images)
Noncitizens are already barred from voting in federal elections, but Johnson argued that such fraud is more likely given the record number of people entering the country illegally.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“There are millions of illegals in this country, and even if 1 in 100 people vote, they are potentially casting hundreds of thousands of votes in an election. That could change forever,” Johnson said.
The White House quickly condemned the proposal in a statement from Biden’s press secretary, Andrew Bates.
“As every fact-checker has made clear, it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. “We’re wasting time on proposals,” Bates said, delaying the toughest bipartisan border security deal in modern history and creating problems for the Border Security Coalition.
