Trump accuses judge of ‘illegitimate political attack’ in Stormy Daniels case
Former President Donald Trump lashed out against Judge Juan Merchan on Friday, describing the judge’s refusal to dismiss the case against him involving payments to Stormy Daniels as "a blatantly illegal maneuver" and "a partisan radical’s activist order." Trump took to his Truth Social platform to express his displeasure, arguing that the judge’s actions are unconstitutional and sets a dangerous precedent for the presidency.
Merchan rejected Trump’s defense team’s request to dismiss the case, citing the Supreme Court’s decision to deny presidential immunity in criminal cases. The judge has ordered Trump to attend the sentencing hearing on January 13 at 9:30 AM EST (14:30 GMT), with the caveat that prison time is not expected to be part of the sentence.
This case stems from Trump’s alleged role in silencing Stormy Daniels, a porn actress who claimed to have had an affair with the former president. Daniels sued Trump for defamation in 2018, leading to the revelation of hush money payments made to her. Trump was found guilty of misdemeanor charges related to the payments in May 2022.
