During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Vice President Kamala Harris had a blunt reality check for "cheater" former President Donald Trump for complaining about the integrity of the judicial system that convicted him.
Harris' appearance on Kimmel's program came after Trump became the first former president to be convicted of felony crimes. A New York jury last week found him guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels to illegally influence the 2016 election. His sentencing is set for July 11.
Harris dismissed Trump's claim that the jury was "biased" and "rigged" against him, saying:
“Let’s think about this: A jury of 12 people ― peers ― over the course of six weeks deliberated on the evidence and facts and unanimously determined guilt [for] 34 felony counts."
"There was a defense attorney who actively participated in selecting that jury, who actively made decisions about witnesses to call, witnesses to cross-examine, and the jury made their decision, and you know, I think that the reality is, cheaters don’t like getting caught and being held accountable.”
“The reality is, let’s just fast forward again to November. I think the American people want to know that there is a president who is accountable to the people.”
After Kimmel observed that Trump's remarks are "classic projection"—he added that Trump "will say ‘You’re doing it,’ when he’s doing everything and intends to do it"—she added:
“To your point, the former president is a hypocrite, and will apply one set of standards to himself and another to others.”
You can hear what Harris said in the video below.
Vice President Kamala Harris on Protecting Reproductive Rights, Trump’s Guilty Verdict & Health Careyoutu.be
Many concurred with Harris' assessment.
The 34 felony guilty verdicts against Trump sparked a wave of violent rhetoric targeting the prosecutors, judge, and jurors involved in the case.
Advance Democracy, a nonprofit organization that conducts public interest research, reported a high volume of social media posts containing violent rhetoric aimed at Judge Juan Merchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, including one post revealing Bragg’s purported home address.
The group also discovered posts on a fringe internet message board, known for pro-Trump content and violent posts, sharing the purported addresses of jurors. However, it remains unclear if any actual jurors were correctly identified.
Trump has continued to lash out even after sitting in silence while the verdict was read. Outside the courtroom, he addressed reporters, labeling the trial as a "rigged, disgraceful trial" and asserting that the "real verdict" will come on Election Day this November.
As Harris makes clear, there was nothing rigged about it as Trump's own legal team had a hand in selecting the jurors and calling witnesses. This is how the American justice system works. It is also the case that Trump screams "rigged!" whenever he loses anything. He did it when 'The Apprentice' didn't win an Emmy, when he lost the Iowa caucus to Ted Cruz and the popular vote to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and, of course, 2020. It's simply what he does.
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