Trump addresses the court during the silence sentence: “I am totally innocent”

Donald Trump became the first former president of the United States sentenced for a crimereceiving punishment without penalty unconditional download in his secret money case in New York.

But before Judge Juan Merchán handed down the sentence, Trump, whose second presidential term begins at the end of this month, was allowed to address the court. Those accused of crimes often take that opportunity to express remorse or take responsibility for their actions in an effort to receive a more lenient sentence.

That’s not what Trump did.

“This has been a very terrible experience,” Trump told the court while appearing virtually from Mar-a-Lago, his Florida residence, alongside his lawyer Todd Blanche.

Trump, who was convicted by jury in May in the 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, he said the legal fees in question were not handled by him, but by accountants.

“This has been a political witch hunt,” Trump continued, repeating his claim that prosecutors were politically motivated. And he added: “I am totally innocent. I didn’t do anything wrong. … They accused me of calling a legal expense a legal expense.”

The jury in the case sided with prosecutors, who accused Trump of falsifying business records when he was a candidate in the 2016 presidential race to conceal the purpose of the refunds from his then-attorney Michael Cohen, who paid porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet. about an extramarital affair with Trump. (Trump denies the affair occurred.)

After Trump’s brief comments on Friday, Merchan sentenced Trump to unconditional release, calling it the “only legal ruling that allows for a conviction without invading the highest office in the land.”

“Sir, I wish you good luck in your second term,” Merchan concluded.

Trump attempted to block the ruling, but the Supreme Court ultimately rejected his proposal on Thursday. Later that day, the president-elect He said he respected the court’s opinion but he hit Merchan in a post from Truth Social that night, baselessly accusing the judge of being “very confrontational” and “corrupt.”

“I am innocent of all of the judge’s false and fabricated charges. “This was nothing more than weaponizing our justice system against a political opponent,” Trump wrote. (In this case he was indicted by a state grand jury; a judge does not file charges.)

He has promised to appeal his conviction.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.