Donald Trump repeats resentments in first speech since arrest
Donald Trump has called on Republicans in Congress to defund both the Department of Justice and FBI, less than 24 hours after a historic and unprecedented day for America, when the former president was arrested and arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court over hush money payments including to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
He cut a glum figure in the courtroom as he pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records. After the court appearance, he railed against Judge Juan Merchan, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, and their family members in a primetime speech at Mar-a-Lago.
In the televised address, he attacked Judge Merchan’’s “Trump-hating” family with critics, including Fox News anchor Steve Doocy, accusing Mr Trump of attempting to intimidate the judge.
While Mr Trump took aim at the people involved in his criminal case, Senator Lindsey Graham was begging Americans to send the former president money to help fight the charges.
On Wednesday, an apparently more upbeat Mr Trump thanked the “patriots” working at the courthouse in New York and claimed to have had an “unbelievable experience, perhaps the Best Day in History for somebody who had just suffered Unjustifiable Indictment!”
