Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social Friday morning to call on the Supreme Court of the United States to step in amid a barrage of legal battles the GOP frontrunner for 2024 is currently engaged with.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump was arraigned in the nation’s capital, pleading not guilty to four counts: criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States, to obstruct an official proceeding, obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding—the Jan. 6 certification of the electoral vote—and conspiracy against the rights of citizens.
It is just one of a number of legal trials he is facing, with several of them being tied to his actions as former president. In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is leading an election interference probe against Mr. Trump and others. In Florida, special counsel Jack Smith, who is also heading the Jan. 6-related case, is also leading a case against Mr. Trump for allegedly mishandling classified documents.
On Aug. 28, U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan is expected to set a trial date. In the documents case, the presiding judge set a trial for May 2024. It appears Mr. Trump expects the cases to be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.
Many have pointed out that these charges came as Mr. Trump gained approval in his campaign for reelection, and as President Joe Biden and his son face investigations of their own. Mr. Smith was appointed special counsel by the Department of Justice just three days after Mr. Trump officially announced his intention to run last November. Mr. Trump’s team has repeatedly decried the legal action from the states as “election interference,” asking why none of these charges appeared before his announcement to run.
“CRAZY! My political opponent has hit me with a barrage of weak lawsuits, including D.A., A.G., and others, which require massive amounts of my time & money to adjudicate,” Mr. Trump said, making a reference to recent news that much of his campaign funding has gone toward legal fees. “Resources that would have gone into Ads and Rallies, will now have to be spent fighting these Radical Left Thugs in numerous courts throughout the Country. I am leading in all Polls, including against Crooked Joe, but this is not a level playing field.”
On social media, Mr. Trump frequently posts new poll results showing his double-digit lead over other candidates. Notably, his approval ratings only continue to climb with each major legal challenge.
‘Sad Day for America’
At the Reagan National Airport following his plea, Mr. Trump called the indictment against him a “very sad day for America.”“When you look at what’s happening, this is a persecution of a political opponent. This was never supposed to happen in America,” Mr. Trump said.
“This is the persecution of the person that’s leading by very, very substantial numbers in the Republican primary and leading Biden by a lot. So, if you can’t beat them, you persecute them or you prosecute them. We can’t let this happen in America,” he said.
Alina Habba, an attorney representing Mr. Trump, talked to reporters outside the district courthouse the day of Mr. Trump’s arraignment.
“The fact that I’m standing here for the third time in four months is not a coincidence,” Ms. Habba said. This is election interference at its finest against the leading candidate right now for president for either party.”
“President Trump is under siege in a way that we have never seen before. President Trump and his legal team and everyone on his team will continue to fight, not for him, but for the American people.”
Ms. Habba pointed out that the indictment came on the heels of new testimony connecting Mr. Biden, during his time as vice president, to his son in foreign business dealings, and called the legal action a “deflection.” Mr. Trump has dominated the headlines this week with the third indictment.
“People are most afraid of somebody that can not be bought by Washington,“ she said. ”People are afraid of someone who is independently wealthy and who has given up his good life to fight for this country, and that frightens a lot of politicians who are career politicians, unfortunately, because he’ll get back out there and I know he’ll be fighting for every one of us so that this doesn’t happen to us.”
