New Delhi: Former US President Donald Trump has expressed his willingness to face imprisonment for defying a gag order imposed by the judge overseeing his upcoming trial relating to a hush-money payment to a porn star, calling it “my great honour,” news agency Reuters reported.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday, Trump stated, “If this Partisan Hack wants to put me in the ‘clink’ for speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela – It will be my GREAT HONOR.”
Trump’s remarks were directed towards Justice Juan Merchan, who is set to preside over his trial in a New York state court in Manhattan. The trial, which commences on April 15, pertains to criminal charges linked to a USD 130,000 payment made prior to the 2016 election to porn star Stormy Daniels, allegedly to secure her silence regarding an alleged sexual encounter.
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Denying any wrongdoing, Trump, who is vying against Democratic President Joe Biden in the November 5 US Presidential election, has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records. He also refuted the alleged encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.
Judge Merchan recently extended an existing gag order, initially barring Trump from publicly discussing witnesses and court personnel, to include his family members. This decision came after Trump made disparaging remarks about Merchan’s daughter.
The pending hush-money trial represents one of the four criminal cases confronting Trump ahead of the U.S. election. It stands as potentially the sole case to proceed to trial before the election. Trump maintains his innocence in all cases, labelling them as politically motivated.
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