What does he think former president donad trump of the Colombians? That is something that is not known for sure. However, his comments last week about the Judge Juan Merchán, who was born in Bogotá but who migrated to the United States at a very young agecaused great surprise and perhaps a window for that question.
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The Republican thus became the first former president in United States history to be convicted of a crime.
After four weeks of trial, a group of 12 jurors began their final deliberation on his guilt or innocence regarding the 34 criminal charges brought against him by the prosecutor’s office in this state for the payment to porn film actress Stormy Daniels to hide an alleged extramarital relationship during the final stretch of the 2016 presidential elections.
As it is, it will be Colombian-born judge Juan Merchán who determines the sentence against the former president, which could include up to four years in prison and who has already announced that he will dictate it on July 11 at 10 in the morning.
How does Donald Trump attack the judge of Colombian origin who has his case in New York?
And, to demonstrate it, the former president has used several arguments. One of them is that Merchán was the same judge who sentenced his company – the Trump Organization – last year for tax evasion in a process that involved the company’s CEO, Allen Weisselberg, who had already pleaded guilty to the same charges. and is serving his sentence in a state prison.
This judge hates Trump, just take a look. He can’t stand me. Just look where it comes from.
But on Tuesday, when the trial finally ended and the lawyers finished their regular proceedings, Trump turned up the volume on his criticism and messed with the origin of Merchán.
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For many, the new insult against Merchán was loaded with racial connotations and was derogatory of his Colombian and immigrant origin.
Merchán, to remember again, emigrated from the country with his family when he was six years old and settled in Queens, New York. His father was a former soldier in the Colombian army.
It was an unfortunate comment, but very typical of Trump who is largely playing to his electoral base when he makes these types of allusions.
In a certain sense, Juan Merchán is the epitome of the American dream as he was the first in his family to graduate from university and has more than 30 years as a prosecutor and judge in the United States.
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“It was an unfortunate comment, but very typical of Trump who is largely playing to his electoral base when he makes these types of allusions. It feeds the cult that surrounds him and his anti-immigrant narrative that has benefited him so much in the past,” says attorney Tristen Snell, one of the prosecutors who participated in another case against Trump in Florida, where he was accused of inventing a paper university that embezzled hundreds of people.
This judge has treated me very unfairly. And well, he is of Mexican origin, and I am saying that I want to build a wall with Mexico. That creates a conflict and he should abstain.
Although Curiel was born in Indiana, his family is originally from Mexico. A fact that Trump used to discredit him in that process, which was carried out during the 2016 election campaign.
“This judge has treated me very unfairly. And well, he is of Mexican origin, and I am saying that I want to build a wall with Mexico. That creates a conflict for him and he should abstain,” Trump said during an interview with CNN. At the time he repeatedly ignored that Curiel is an American.
(In other news: Donald Trump, guilty in trial in New York: what other legal troubles is the former president of the United States facing?)
At what point does Donald Trump decide to attack the judges?
In fact, nothing has been said so far. Aileen Cannonthe judge also of Colombian origin who supervises another criminal process against her for the alleged illegal extraction of classified documents from the White House.
Cannon, 42, was born in Cali but grew up in Florida after his parents emigrated to this state.
As in the case of Merchán, his appointment to the process against Trump was random (judges are assigned cases by rotation).
But he has been widely criticized for a series of procedural decisions that have favored the former president and postponed the start of the trial. Which, as it goes, would not be resolved until after the presidential elections.
As is known, since it is a federal case, Trump could throw it out if he reaches the White House in November. Cannon, it is worth noting, was nominated by the former president for her current position as district judge for South Florida.
SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
@sergom68
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