Just hours before his arraignment was slated to begin in a Manhattan courtroom, former President Donald Trump slammed the judge as a Trump hater and called for moving the case to the courts in Staten Island.
He called the Manhattan court "a very unfair venue" in a post on Truth Social, noting that the liberal borough, from which prospective jurors would be drawn for his trial on an indictment announced Thursday, included "some areas that voted 1% Republican."
Trump, the first president ever to be indicted reportedly is facing 34 felony counts related to alleged falsification of business records.
In his post, Trump said, "This case should be moved to nearby Staten Island — would be a very fair and secure location for the trial." Staten Island is the most politically conservative of New York City's five boroughs.
He also slammed Juan Merchan, the judge assigned to Tuesday's arraignment, as "highly partisan," saying Merchann and his family "are well known Trump haters."
Trump blasted Merchan as "an unfair disaster on a previous Trump related case," referring to his oversight of a criminal trial of the Trump Organization that ended with the real estate company convicted by a jury of tax fraud and hit with fines, while one of its longtime executives, Allen Weisselberg, pleaded guilty and was sent to jail.
In addition, Trump noted, Merchan's daughter "worked for 'Kamala' [Harris] & now the Biden-Harris campaign.
"Kangaroo court!!!" Trump concluded.
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