Former President Trump makes remarks after court concludes for the day in his New York criminal trial.
Anyone can be falsely accused of a crime. Vindication relies on the right to a fair trial.
Regrettably, the Manhattan trial of former President Donald Trump bears no resemblance to that cherished constitutional promise. Almost nothing during this five-week trial can be described as remotely fair.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s absurd case made a mockery of our legal system. Judge Juan Merchan compounded the injustice by dismantling the principles of due process that every defendant deserves. His rulings from the bench consistently favored the prosecution and foreclosed Trump’s lawyers from presenting a bona fide defense that would be permitted in any other courtroom.
TRUMP TOUTS DEFENSE TEAM HAS 'WON' MANHATTAN CASE AS HE CALLS ON MERCHAN TO DISMISS
Working in tandem, Bragg and Merchan proved they have little respect for the rule of law or the rights of the accused. This is not an impartial tribunal. It’s an Orwellian show trial with a preordained outcome. There’s no presumption of innocence, only the expectation of guilt.
The impact of this case stretches well beyond the verdict, whatever it may be. Incalculable damage has been inflicted on a once-respected institution, our judiciary. The corrupt actions of the prosecutor and the transparent prejudice of the judge constitute moral failings that will inevitably breed cynicism about democratic government.
District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s absurd case made a mockery of our legal system. Judge Juan Merchan compounded the injustice by dismantling the principles of due process that every defendant deserves.
The anti-Trump bias of Merchan is particularly insidious. It was on full display when the defense called to the stand, Robert Costello, who once served as an attorney for the D.A.’s star witness, Michael Cohen. Recall that the judge allowed both Cohen and another prosecution witness, ex-porn star Stormy Daniels, unfettered latitude to trash Trump in........