SCHNECKSVILLE, Pa, April 14, (AP): Former US president Donald Trump on Saturday lit into New York prosecutors and the criminal hush money case they brought against him during his last rally before what he called a "communist show trial” begins Monday.
"I will be forced to sit fully gagged. I'm not allowed to talk. They want to take away my constitutional right to talk," said Trump, who has been barred from publicly discussing potential witnesses and jurors but not the judge or prosecutors.
"I’m proud to do it for you,” Trump told a crowd in northeast Pennsylvania. "Have a good time watching.”
Trump spoke as Israel was fighting off a retaliatory drone attack from Iran that threatened to tip into a regional war in the Middle East. After a short mention of the attack, which he claimed wouldn't have happened if he were president, Trump turned to an extended tirade against his own legal troubles.
He went after Judge Juan M. Merchan, whom he called "corrupt,” and District Attorney Alvin Bragg, declaring himself a victim of Democrats bent on blocking his return to the White House.
Trump is navigating four separate criminal prosecutions while running to avenge his loss to President Joe Biden, creating an unprecedented swirl of legal and political chaos.
Jury selection starts Monday in New York in his trial where he is charged with seeking during his 2016 campaign to bury stories about extramarital affairs by arranging hush money payments.
It will be the first criminal trial ever of a former US president. And it will limit Trump’s availability on the campaign trail, though he is expected to speak to the media after court often and has for months fundraised and campaigned on the felony charges he faces.
Trump spoke at the Schnecksville Fire Hall in Lehigh County, where a long line formed outward three hours before Trump’s planned appearance. It was Trump’s third visit this year to the vital swing state, one that could decide who wins this year’s presidential race. He also plans to attend a fundraiser in nearby Bucks County before the event.