Whether or not the former president could attend his son’s high school graduation came with conflicting claims and a suggestion on what risking arrest could mean.
(Video: Fox News)
The beginning of jury selection in New York on Monday marked the start of former President Donald Trump’s alleged hush money trial — the first criminal trial of an American president. While the GOP leader’s presence at a congested schedule of legal proceedings and campaign objectives could be impacted by Judge Juan Merchan, it was the high school graduation of his son, Barron Trump, that became a focus.
During remarks to the media outside the courtroom, Trump had asserted, “It looks like the judge will not let me go to the graduation of my son.”
As it happened, Merchan, who had refused a request for Trump to attend a Supreme Court hearing next week, had yet to make a determination on Barron’s Florida commencement. The New York Post quoted the jurist as saying, “It really depends on if we are on time and where we are in the trial.”
Still, Alina Habba, one of the president’s attorneys, appeared on Fox News’ “Hannity” Monday night and furthered the claim about the graduation while also lamenting other schedule-keeping decisions from Merchan of the trial expected to take anywhere from six to eight weeks.
“This is political. It’s election interference,” she told Fox News host Sean Hannity. “You’re not even allowing a father, never mind a former president, but a father to attend his son’s graduation. And let’s not forget Passover, okay? Observant Jews have a right to go and pray to who they want and observe Passover. And this judge would not allow it. Not for any of the attorneys. And there are observant Jewish attorneys on the Trump team and as well on the DA team.”
“It’s just a sad state of affairs for the American people, I can assure you of that,” she added as Hannity suggested, “If Democrats and these radical prosecutors had their way all these trials would take place and he’d be in a courtroom the entire 203 days leading up to the election.”
Earlier on “The Five,” commentator Piers Morgan contended Trump not stand for it if Merchan did rule against attending the May 17 graduation, and suggested risking arrest would prove a political win.
“Donald Trump should go to his son’s graduation…go to the graduation. Honestly, if you’re watching, President Trump, just go to the graduation. Every parent in America, whether they like you or hate you, will go, ‘Yeah, I’d have done that, too,’” he argued to the panel.
(Video: Fox News)
Referring to the case as “nonsensical,” Morgan wondered, “Have you lost your minds, America? What a demeaning way to treat a former president.”
“Secondly, if you’re on the left, why would you think this would possibly work? Why would you not think that what you’re doing here is going to almost guarantee Donald Trump wins the next election?” he posited further as he suggested a landslide victory would follow conviction.
On Truth Social, Trump both acknowledged that a ruling hadn’t been made yet and suggested the judge was keeping him from his son’s graduation in the same post, Monday evening.
“Who will explain for me, to my wonderful son, Barron, who is a GREAT Student at a fantastic School, that his Dad will likely not be allowed to attend his Graduation Ceremony,” he lamented, “something that we have been talking about for years, because a seriously Conflicted and Corrupt New York State Judge wants me in Criminal Court on a bogus ‘Biden Case’ which, according to virtually all Legal Scholars and Pundits, has no merit, and should NEVER have been brought.”
“This Fake Case is solely meant to attack Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME, who is seriously leading him in the Polls, for purposes of Election Interference. The Judge, Juan Merchan, is preventing me from proudly attending my son’s Graduation,” contended Trump. “Seems very unfair, doesn’t it? But this whole event is unfair. Every one of the many Fake Cases that are perpetuated by the White House in order to help the Worst President in History, by far, get Re-Elected, are UNJUST SCAMS. We won’t let that happen, but we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
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Author: Kevin Haggerty
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