“The Judge ‘assigned’ to my Witch Hunt Case… HATES ME,” Trump said in a statement via social media. “He strong armed Allen [Weisselberg], which a judge is not allowed to do, and treated my companies, which didn’t ‘plead,’ VICIOUSLY. APPEALING!”
The judge to whom Trump is referring is Juan Manuel Marchan. Marchan was hand picked by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Trump said. Marchan “railroaded” Weisselberg, the former Trump Organization CFO, into taking a plea deal on tax fraud and business record falsification charges, Trump said.
Trump also changed the biography on his Truth Social account on Friday to read: “They’re not coming after me, they’re coming after you – I’m just standing in the way!”
On Thursday, a Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump on charges related to his alleged role in a hush money payment and cover-up involving a purported affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election.
Trump denies the accusations, as well as the alleged affair with Daniels.
Earlier in the day, Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina made it clear that there was "zero" chance the former president would take a plea deal in the case against him. Trump’s legal team expects the indictment against him to be unsealed early next week, Tacopina added.
Trump is expected to appear in court on Tuesday for arraignment, US media reported. Trump said in a post on Thursday that he does not believe he can get a fair trial in New York.
Meanwhile, Trump's successor, US President Joe Biden, said on Friday that would not comment on the indictment.