Staff Reports
Judge Juan Merchan has tossed aside Donald Trump’s latest attempt to rid himself of the charges brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. This ruling has the faint aroma of a fish market in July, as it is infused with the stink of bias. The judge’s reasoning? Merchan determined that the charges mainly revolve around unofficial conduct, which means they fall outside the so-called noble protection of presidential immunity. Who knew that being a former president meant giving up the right to defend oneself from overzealous prosecutors?
The ruling almost feels scripted for dramatic effect. Trump’s legal team had requested that the judge reconsider his previous guilty verdict from the New York v. Trump trial, arguing presidential immunity should apply. But Merchan waved that off like a fly at a summer picnic, declaring instead that the evidence related to Trump’s alleged misdeeds was entirely personal and irrelevant to his presidential duties. It’s hard to imagine how Merchan found the energy to deliver such an overcomplicated reasoning while ignoring the swampy politics behind the scenes — but that’s just par for the course.
BREAKING NEWS! JUDGE MERCHAN ACCEPTS MOTION TO DISMISS ALL CHARGES AGAINST TRUMP! ALSO, WHY DID SEN. DEMS CAVE TO GOP OVER 4 FED. JUDGE SEATS? PART OF MATT GAETZ STORY? LET US KNOW WHAT YOU THINK. pic.twitter.com/n3CsXcvCey
— Live From America TV (@LFATVUS) November 22, 2024
Trump’s spokesperson was quick to react, calling Merchan deeply compromised and accusing him of furthering what they dubbed the “Manhattan DA Witch Hunt.” According to the spokesperson, this legal escapade not only violates the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity but also confounds common sense and decency. After all, why should Trump have to waste his time dealing with legal shenanigans instead of focusing on the pressing needs of the country? It’s tough to govern with a persistent legal cloud hanging overhead.
As the drama unfolds, it’s worth noting that Trump is facing 34 counts of falsifying business records connected to alleged hush money payments — a situation that feels like something out of a poorly scripted soap opera. The investigation began under former DA Cyrus Vance and, reliant on a jury that struggled to be neutral in a city as deeply entrenched in leftist ideology as New York, wound up with a guilty verdict. At this point, it seems clear that this trial will remain the golden goose for late-night comedy bits well into the future.
Trump’s legal eagle, Todd Blanche, had previously argued that much of the evidence presented in the trial shouldn’t have been admissible, especially if it dealt with his official duties. He cited weighty issues like presidential tweets and testimony from former staffers as crucial points of contention. It’s as if the prosecuting side decided to argue that tweets from a sitting president should be treated the same as a Vatican decree. This entire affair underscores a great irony—while one side claims to uphold the law, the other looks to undermine it in a frenzied attempt to bring down a political giant.
The situation is ongoing, but one thing is abundantly clear: this legal tug-of-war will be closely monitored by conservatives who see it as a clear case of political persecution wrapped in layers of judicial rhetoric. With every ruling and statement from those involved, it becomes increasingly evident that the stakes are not merely legal, but profoundly political for the future of the country and for President Trump.
