Former President Donald Trump lashed out at the Colombian judge who presided over the case related to the hush money payments made to adult film actor Stormy Daniels. Trump, who was found guilty of 34 felony counts on May 30th, called Judge Juan Merchan, who oversaw the case, “a devil,” in a press conference outside of Trump Tower on Friday, May 31st.
“You saw what happened to some of the witnesses that were on our side,” Trump said. “They were literally crucified by this man, [Judge Juan Merchan], who looks like an angel, but he’s really a devil.”
Trump also said about Merchan during the press conference: “We had a conflicted judge. Highly conflicted. There’s never been a more conflicted judge.”
A New York jury convicted Trump on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. Sentencing has officially been set for 10 a.m. ET on July 11.
The press conference, which was carried live by news broadcasters, was at one point cut off by CNN, with the network referring to it as a “rant.” Trump allegedly did not use a teleprompter during the conference and seemed to be improvising his entire speech.
Merchan, who was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and has been an acting Supreme Court Justice in New York since 2009, also oversaw the criminal trial of the Trump Organization last year. The Trump Organization was ultimately fined $1.6 million for tax fraud. Trump was not a defendant in the case.
Before the press conference, Trump went off on Merchan on his Truth Social account and claimed Merchan was “HIGHLY CONFLICTED” and “BIASED.”
Despite the conviction, Donald Trump can still run for President of the United States in November. At least, for now.