November 2, 2024

Former President Donald Trump did not appear pleased with New York County Judge Juan Merchan's jury instructions Thursday morning.

The post Donald Trump: ‘Mother Theresa Could Not Beat These Charges…the Whole Thing Is Rigged’ appeared first on Breitbart.

Former President Donald Trump did not appear pleased with New York County Judge Juan Merchan’s jury instructions Thursday morning.

“Mother Teresa could not beat these charges, but we’ll see. We’ll see how we do. It’s a very disgraceful situation,” Trump told reporters after the jury began deliberations in his criminal trial.

These charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged,” he added. 

“We’re going to take back our country from these fascists and these thugs that are destroying us with inflation and with everything they do,” Trump continued, “allowing 15, 16, 17 million people into our country, totally unvetted, totally unchecked.”

“We’re going to bring back our nation,” Trump vowed. “November 5. Remember, most important day in the history of our country.”

“In the meantime, this trial is rigged,” he said. 

Merchan finished jury instructions before lunch. The jury will deliberate until members reach a verdict. They will be dismissed on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. until Thursday. 

According to CNN, the jury instructions include

  • They must not make a decision based on biases or stereotypes;
  • They must set aside personal differences;
  • They must not speculate how long sentencing may be or what the punishment might be – that’s up to the judge;
  • They can’t hold it against Trump for not testifying;
  • The “people must prove beyond a reasonable doubt every element of the crime.” He reminds the jury it must not rest its verdict on speculation;
  • They can consider whether a witness hopes to receive a benefit related to the trial, or if they have an interest in how the case ends;
  • They cannot convict Trump on Michael Cohen’s testimony alone because he’s an accomplice, but they can use his evidence if corroborated with other evidence;
  • The jury must be unanimous if they find Trump guilty on each count – on whether he committed the crime personally, acted in concert with others or both;
  • They must determine if Trump conspired to promote someone or prevent them from public office by unlawful means;
  • They should deliberate with a view toward reaching an agreement, without surrendering individual judgement;
  • Jurors notes cannot be used in place of evidence;
  • The foreperson will deliver the verdict for each count after deliberations are over;
  • They must surrender their phones, and can only discuss the case when all 12 of them are together.

One juror who sat for six weeks listening to the evidence presented in a Manhattan courtroom against Trump reportedly appears sympathetic toward him.

Some legal experts, such as constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley, expect the jury will either render a guilty verdict or produce a hung jury that results in a mistrial.

Many legal experts believe there is no good case against Trump.

Increasing numbers of Americans see Trump’s criminal trial as irrelevant to his fitness for reelection, a CNN poll recently found, and only 13 percent believe Trump is being treated the same as other “criminal defendants.”

A majority of Americans doubt Trump’s criminal trial will conclude with a fair outcome, the CNN poll found. Only about one-third of American adults believe Trump did anything illegal regarding the case, an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found in April.

The case is New York v. TrumpNo. 71543-23, in the New York Supreme Court for New York County.

Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former GOP War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.