Republican Senator JD Vance took to CNN to explain why he sees the Trump conviction and prosecution as being a “sham” case, calmly explaining the matter despite CNN host Wolf Blitzer’s hysterics, with Blitzer continually trying to interrupt Vance as he discussed the matter. Vance, despite the opposition, managed to outline his numerous problems with both the case and Judge Juan Merchan.
Particularly, Vance argued that it was inappropriate for Judge Juan Merchan to have donated to the Biden Campaign in 2020 and then overseen the case, particularly in the way that he did, and that the obvious purpose of charging Trump with 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in very liberal Manhattan was to label Trump as a convicted felon.
Senator Vance, commenting on the problem with Judge Merchan, said that he should have recused himself given his seeming bias. He said, “My complaint is with the judge, with the jury instructions that were clearly reversible, with the fact that the judge had donated to the Biden campaign, which should force a recusal under the New York rules for the judge, the fact that his daughter has gotten.”
Blitzer, predictably, interrupted Vance as Vance tried to explain his issues with Judge Merchan. Vance, not putting up with it but remaining calm while he shot down Blitzer’s attempt to interrupt him, fired back, “Please let me answer the question.This judge committed multiple elements of reversible error and he did it while his daughter has made a ton of money off of Democratic candidates and while he himself donated to the Biden campaign, you cannot say that this trial was anything more than politics masquerading as justice.”
That wasn’t all. Later in the segment, Sen. Vance also argued that Republicans need to remain focused on calling out how absurd the whole situation is, taking Maryland’s RINO Governor, Larry Hogan, to task over his decision to support the verdict and its legitimacy on X (formerly Twitter), much to the outrage of many on the right.
Sen. Vance, commenting on that and torching Hogan, said, “We need to criticize and call this ridiculous legal proceeding out. Larry Hogan’s trying to win a Senate race in blue seat. Obviously, I disagree with Larry Hogan, the problem is not criticizing the sham prosecution. The problem is the sham prosecution itself and we need leadership to call it out.
Hogan, for reference, posted, ”Regardless of the result, I urge all Americans to respect the verdict and the legal process. At this dangerously divided moment in our history, all leaders—regardless of party—must not pour fuel on the fire with more toxic partisanship. We must reaffirm what has made this nation great: the rule of law.”
Watch Vance and Blitzer here:
Sen. Vance isn’t the only one to cast aspersions on the legitimacy of the trial. Trump, posting on Truth Social about the case after the verdict, said, “My bookkeeper called a “Legal Expense,” on the “tiny” description line of the Ledger, a “Legal Expense,” openly paid to my lawyer, at that time a fully accredited one. I was not involved in that designation, but what else would you have called it? It was, in fact, a LEGAL EXPENSE. ”
He continued, “That is the so-called “CRIME.” On top of that, I wasn’t allowed by the judge to use, in any form, the standard RELIANCE ON COUNSEL DEFENSE (ADVICE OF COUNSEL!). My lawyer, at the time, did virtually everything on the NDA (NON-DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT), and I assumed that what he did was correct. I did nothing wrong, and frankly, there was nothing done wrong – NDA’s are standard, commonly used, and LEGAL. MAGA2024! WITCH HUNT! IF THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ME, IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video
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