President Joe Biden flashed an enigmatic smile when asked to comment on Donald Trump’s claim that the president is responsible for his recent criminal trial in New York.
Yesterday, Trump was found guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
“This was a disgrace, this was a rigged trial,” Trump said after the verdict. “Our whole country is being rigged right now. This is being done by the Biden Administration in order to hurt or wound a political opponent.”
After initially crashing due to a flood of donations following the verdict, the Republican frontrunner’s site reappeared with an image of Trump and the phrase, “I’m a political prisoner.”
Friday afternoon, Biden delivered an address to discuss a possible roadmap to an Israeli ceasefire and a release of hostages by Hamas.
When the president finished his remarks, NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell asked a question as he walked away from the podium.
“Mr. President, can you tell us, sir, Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What’s your response to that, sir?” she asked.
At that point, Biden paused and turned back slightly in the direction of the reporter and smiled enigmatically.
“Do you think the conviction will have an impact on the campaign?” she followed up.
As Biden began to walk away, O’Donnell said, “We’d love to have your thoughts, sir.”
Biden then exited the room. 🚨REPORTER: “Mr. President, can you tell us, sir, Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly? What’s your response to that sir?”
BIDEN: *Evil Smirk* pic.twitter.com/rhHh18vCWM
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) May 31, 2024
Within hours of the guilty verdict, Trump’s campaign raised $34.8 million from small donors, according to a statement emailed by senior advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles.
During a Friday morning press conference, Trump responded to the guilty verdict and commented on corruption in the country.
“I’m the leading person for president and I am under a gag order by a man that can’t put two sentences together, given by a court – and they are in total conjunction with the White House and the DOJ, just so you understand,” he said. “This is all done by Biden and his people.”
He continued: “And maybe his people, more importantly. I don’t know if Biden knows too much about it. ‘Cause I don’t know if he knows about anything. But he’s nevertheless the president so we have to use his name. And this is done by Washington and nobody’s ever seen anything like it.”
Trump has long maintained that the trial was “all under the auspices of the DOJ and White House, for the purpose of Election Interference - These are the Thugs and Monsters who are destroying our Country,” he repeated in a May 30 Truth Social post.
Pundits on X have raised questions over the role of Michael Colangelo in Trump’s “hush money” trial.
Colangelo was formerly the third-ranking official for Biden’s Justice Department before he joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office in late 2022 as a senior counsel in Trump’s case, The New York Post reported earlier this month.
“The DNC paid Matthew Colangelo $12,000 in January 2018 for ‘political consulting,’ Federal Election Commission filings show, and the prosecutor also donated $400 to Obama’s first presidential campaign in 2008,” per the outlet. “During opening arguments … Colangelo told jurors that Trump and Cohen participated in a ‘criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 election,’ — even though the case is not federal and the payments to reimburse Cohen weren’t made until after Trump took office in January 2017.”
Earlier today, Sen. Jim Jordan (R-Oh.) sent letters to Colangelo and Bragg inviting them to appear before the House Weaponization of the Federal Government Committee in June. BREAKING.🚨
Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg and former Biden DOJ official Matthew Colangelo have been invited to appear before the House Weaponization Committee. pic.twitter.com/23vNr87Shw
— Kyle Becker (@kylenabecker) May 31, 2024
