Trump attorney says he did not get a fair trial
Trump attorney Todd Blanche says the Trump team felt strongly there was an actual bias from Judge Juan Merchan on 'Jesse Watters Primetime.'
Former President Trump’s attorney reacted to the guilty verdict handed down by a Manhattan jury in NY v. Trump on Thursday, saying he believes his client didn’t get a "fair trial."
Todd Blanche told "Jesse Watters Primetime" the trial played out "exactly as we expected."
"Did your client get a fair trial?" Watters asked.
"I mean, no, I don't think so. I mean, we've been saying for over a year that we couldn't get a fair trial in Manhattan. We couldn't get a fair trial with the judge," Blanche responded.
Judge Juan Merchan imposed over Donald Trump (AP)
Trump was convicted on 34 counts of falsifying business records, making him the first former president to be convicted of a felony crime. The former president will be back in court on July 11 for a sentencing hearing, days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Blanche predicted one of the first things Trump’s legal team will appeal is Judge Juan Merchan's decision to deny a motion to recuse himself from the case amid allegations of bias and his daughter’s work as a Democratic consultant.
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"Our system of justice requires not only that a judge that is actually biased recuse himself, but that a judge that even has the appearance of bias to recuse himself, and our papers are public. We've felt very strongly that there was an actual bias this judge had, and even if not an actual bias, that there was certainly a perception of bias," he said.
Former President Trump sits in the courtroom during his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 21, 2024 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The attorney added that he believes Trump’s constitutional rights were violated "in many ways," largely due to the gag order put on his client.
Trump reacted to the guilty verdict outside the New York State Supreme Court, saying the trial was "rigged" and "disgraceful."
"The real verdict is going to be Nov. 5 by the people," he told reporters. "We didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man, and it’s OK. I’m fighting for our country, I'm fighting for our Constitution."
Blanche told "Jesse Watters Primetime" it was an "honor" for him to spend the last six weeks with Trump even though the outcome was a guilty verdict.
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"It's not over," he said. "It’s not over at all, but it was great."
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