ABC News anchor Jonathan Karl confronted Trump attorney Jim Trusty over former President Donald Trump’s attacks on Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump returned to Mar-a-Lago — after his his arrest and arraignment in a Manhattan courtroom for a 34- count indictment on crimes involving hush money payments to adult entertainment entrepreneur Stormy Daniels — and delivered a speech that night in which he renewed his attacks on Bragg the judge in the case,
On Sunday’s edition of ABC’s This Week, Karl asked Trusty if Trump’s attacks are wise or appropriate, and the Trump lawyer offered defenses of the attacks as political in nature:
KARL: In his remarks Tuesday night, he really went after Alvin Bragg again, calling him a criminal, suggesting that it is Bragg who should be indicted.
As his lawyer, do you think this makes sense to go after the prosecutor in such deeply personal and aggressive terms?
TRUSTY: Yeah, look, I’ll just say this — I mean, there’s kind of a political lane and a legal lane. I’m in the legal lane. I’m not going to worry too much or be able to try to control the politics of the moment. But, look, Alvin Bragg ran for office saying he’s the best guy to take out Donald Trump.
I mean, none of us, no matter who you’re favorite candidate is, who no matter what your political stripes, we should not have the criminal justice system that starts off with targeting people to find some sort of charge, because if you do, you end up coming up with tread bare charges like this, relying on witnesses like Michael Cohen. I mean, it is an absurd situation, and multiple prosecutors passed by this, ran (ph) of ham sandwich of an indictment and Alvin Bragg suddenly decides to do it, perhaps with the help of a senior adviser who parachuted in from DOJ to help him on this thing.
But, again, you know, we have a lot of confidence by how it plays out in a long run, but the long run, the historic run, this is a bad moment and we’ve got to do what we can to let the people know that this is a different criminal justice if we go down this road.
KARL: But in that legal lane, we also saw the former president go after again in personal terms the judge in this case, criticizing not just the judge, but his wife and even his daughter. We heard from another member of the legal team, from Joe Tacopina, saying that he didn’t think that the judge is biased. Trump obviously does. Who’s right about this?
TRUSTY: Yeah.
KARL: Do you think that this is an impartial judge or not?
TRUSTY: I don’t have any experience with this judge, and again, my practice as somebody who’s been in the criminal justice lane for about 35, 36 years is to not jump on to any bandwagon when it comes to criticizing. I think the criticisms of the family were not something personal. It was pointing that they have a bias. That they have a political interest that is contrary to President Trump’s.
But, look, the bottom line is that stuff will play out. The New York team that’s on the case is a very knowledgeable group of lawyers. I’m a huge fan of the recent addition, of one of New York — former federal prosecutor, Todd Blanche.
And so, you know, they’ll weigh through this if there’s an actual legal basis for disqualification, they’ll pursue it.
Watch above via ABC’s This Week.
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