Former President Trump’s lawyer responded to the guilty verdict handed down by a Manhattan jury in the case New York v. Trump on Thursday, saying he believes his client did not receive a “fair trial.”
Todd Blanche told “Jesse Watters Primetime” the trial went “exactly how we expected it to go.”
“Did your client receive a fair trial?” Watters asked.
“No, I don’t think so. I’ve been saying for over a year that you can’t get a fair trial in Manhattan. You can’t get a fair trial before a judge,” Blanche replied.
Judge Juan Merchan sentences Donald Trump (Associated Press)
Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony. He is scheduled to appear again in court for a sentencing hearing on July 11, just days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Branche predicted that one of the first issues Trump’s legal team will appeal will be Judge Juan Marchand’s decision to reject his motion to be removed from the case due to allegations of bias and because his daughter serves as a consultant to the Democratic Party.
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“Our judicial system requires not only that judges who are actually biased recuse themselves, but that judges who appear to be biased recuse themselves, and our documents are publicly available. We feel strongly that this judge was actually biased, and even if it wasn’t actual bias, it certainly was perceived as biased,” he said.
Former President Trump sits in court during his hush money trial in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on May 21, 2024. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The lawyer added that he believes Trump’s constitutional rights have been violated “in a variety of ways,” primarily due to the gag order against his client.
President Trump reacted to the guilty verdict outside the New York Supreme Court, calling the trial “rigged” and “disgraceful.”
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“The real verdict will be made by the people on November 5,” he told reporters. “We have done nothing wrong. I am a completely innocent man. That’s fine. I am fighting for my country, for the Constitution.”
Ms Blanche told Jesse Watters Primetime that it had been an “honour” to spend the last six weeks with Mr Trump, despite his guilty verdict.
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“It’s not over yet,” he said. “It’s not over by any means, but it’s been great.”
