Former President Donald Trump passionately expressed his grievances outside a court hearing regarding the hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. During the Thursday hearing, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg had initiated a case resulting in a substantial indictment against Trump.
Addressing reporters for approximately four minutes, Trump launched into a familiar series of accusations against President Joe Biden, falsely asserting his involvement in directing the prosecution. He vehemently labeled the charges as “not a crime” and criticized the state of New York City, denouncing it as “dirty” and plagued by escalating crime rates.
Trump adamantly defended himself, stating that the alleged crime was nonexistent and that the case could have been brought three years earlier but was intentionally delayed. He asserted that Bragg, the district attorney, initially did not want to pursue the case, emphasizing the absence of any criminal wrongdoing. Trump framed the situation as a double standard, with violent crime escalating in the streets while he faced legal challenges for a purported non-crime.
Further, Trump contended that the case amounted to election interference orchestrated by Biden and his administration. He claimed that individuals, including a person named Angelo, had been strategically placed within the district attorney’s office to ensure interference in the legal proceedings. According to Trump, this unprecedented situation marked a dark period in the country’s history, with election meddling on an unparalleled scale.
Expressing his dismay at the transformation of New York City since his departure, Trump described it as “dirty” and crime-ridden, contrasting it with the city he left behind. He painted a grim picture of the streets, alleging that walking down them posed the risk of being mugged or shot, and criticized legal experts who, according to him, failed to comprehend the absence of any criminal activity in the case.
Trump framed the legal proceedings as a deliberate attempt to harm his chances in the upcoming election, where he claimed to be leading by unprecedented numbers. He accused those behind the case of attempting to cheat in a manner reminiscent of a “banana republic” or a third-world country, asserting that the urgency in bringing the case was tied to his success in the polls.
In Trump’s view, the timing of the case was orchestrated to coincide with the upcoming election, insinuating a rush to judgment fueled by political motives. He argued that had he not been a contender in the presidential race or if he were performing poorly, the case would not have been pursued. Trump perceived the legal proceedings as a concerted effort to undermine his candidacy and discredit his electoral success.
It’s not a crime. This is not a crime. And when you look at what’s going on outside the streets where violent crime is at an all-time high. I think it’s a very, very — it’s a great double standard. The other thing, this case could be brought three years ago. There is no case. They decided not to bring in the district attorney. Bragg didn’t want to bring it. He said he doesn’t want to bring this case. But it’s not a crime. We’re here for something that is not a crime. Nobody’s ever seen anything like it.
What it is is election interference. It’s being run by Joe Biden, his White House. His top person was placed here in order to make sure everything goes right. This is a terrible time for our country. This is a real dark period for our country. His top person called Angelo and some others have been placed into the DA’s office to make sure they do a good job of election interference. There’s never been anything like this in the history of our country.
With all of this being said, I look outside, I look at history. It’s so different from when I left New York. It’s so different. It’s dirty and it’s crime ridden. And today you walk down the street, you get mugged or you get shot. And they are doing this where literally legal experts, legal scholars said they don’t understand that there’s no crime and there was no crime here at all.
This is just a way of hurting me in the election because I’m leading by a lot. We’re leading by numbers that nobody’s ever seen before, and they figure this is their way of cheating this time. Last time, they had a different way. This time, they have something that’s really down and dirty that, no, frankly, no country does other than a third world country, a banana republic. So we’re going to do our process. They want to rush it because they want to get it desperately before the election come back in because before the election, that’s what they want to do. They don’t care.
After the election, they wouldn’t have brought this except for the fact. No way. Except for the fact I’m running for president and doing well. If I were doing poorly, they wouldn’t have brought it. And frankly, if I didn’t run, they would have been extremely happy because they don’t like me running and they don’t like the numbers.
