PALM BEACH, Fla. \u2014 Former President Donald Trump ranted against his unprecedented arrest and arraignment Tuesday night, telling supporters at Mar-a-Lago that the real \u201ccriminal\u201d is Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe only crime that I\u2019ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it,\u201d the 76-year-old said hours after pleading not guilty to 34 felony charges of falsifying business records in connection with hush-money payments made ahead of the 2016 presidential election to two women alleging extramarital affairs with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe criminal is the district attorney because he illegally leaked massive amounts of grand jury information, for which he should be prosecuted \u2014 or at a minimum, he should resign,\u201d Trump added, referring details of his indictment beihg reported ahead of his initial hearing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former President Donald Trump
Former President Donald Trump ranted against his unprecedented arrest and arraignment telling supporters at Mar-a-Lago: \u201cWe have to save our country.\u201d
Getty Images
\u201c[Bragg] campaigned on the fact that he would \u2018get\u2019 President Trump \u2014 \u2018I\u2019m gonna get him, I\u2019m gonna get him\u2019 \u2014 this is a guy campaigning\u2026 this, before he knew anything about me,\u201d the 45th president told hundreds of fans gathered in his Palm Beach club\u2019s ballroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The current front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination also slammed the \u201cTrump-hating judge\u201d presiding over his case, Juan Manuel Merchan, and prosecutors leading other inquiries into his conduct \u2014 but focused his ire on Bragg in his 25-minute speech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlvin Bragg\u2019s wife confirmed a report that claimed her husband \u2018has Trump nailed on felonies.\u2019 She has since locked down her Twitter account,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Former President Donald Trump
Trump claims, \u201cThe only crime that I\u2019ve committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it.\u201d
Getty Images
\u201cMeanwhile, overall crime in New York was up 30% last year, much more than that the year before, with felony assaults, robberies and burglaries all up by massive, massive numbers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bashing the judge who controls his fate, the former president said: \u201cI have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden Harris campaign \u2014 and a lot of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n