Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett roasted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg during a segment on Wednesday, accusing him of ignoring the law to indict former President Donald Trump.
Judge Juan Merchan has decided that the trial of former President Trump, accused of falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, will begin with jury selection on Monday. Jarrett asserted on “Fox & Friends” that Trump’s actions do not amount to a criminal offense, and Bragg is pursuing the case solely to secure a conviction rather than on its substantive merits.
“Some of the allegations and evidence against him in the New York case took place while he was president,” Jarrett told host Brian Kilmeade. “Why not wait until the high court decides that issue? Oral arguments are in just a couple of weeks. But there is a rush to convict Trump in advance of the election.”
“Paying somebody for silence is not a crime,” Jarrett added. “So, you know, instead, the DA, Alvin Bragg, accuses Trump of falsely accounting for it. At best, that’s a mere misdemeanor as you point out. That was barred long ago by the statute of limitations, so Bragg is trying to circumvent that by twisting the law and claiming, ‘Oh, it’s an illegal campaign donation and, thus, a felony.’ No, it’s not.
“The Federal Election Commission concluded it doesn’t qualify as a campaign expenditure. The Department of Justice said, ‘Hey, there’s no crime here.’ Alvin Bragg doesn’t care,” Jarrett explained.
Trump was indicted in April 2023 on 34 counts of falsifying documents, a set of charges described as nearly unprecedented. Manhattan has pursued only two other felony cases against defendants for falsifying business records without accompanying criminal offenses.
“These indictments all have one common denominator, Brian,” Jarrett asserted. “They’re politically driven. And Americans see this for what it is. An abuse of our legal system meant to interfere in the presidential election. Polls show it’s backfiring.
“Only solidifying Trump’s support and voters see him really as a villain, not as a villain, rather, but as a victim of unscrupulous political enemies who are weaponizing the law. So, you know, we’ll have to wait and see how it turns out,” Jarrett added.
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