Anthony Scaramucci, the former White House communications director, commented on Tuesday that former President Donald Trump’s recent criticisms of the judge in his New York hush money trial indicate significant anxiety about the trial’s outcome.
“Trump is clearly very anxious,” Scaramucci said in a CNN interview. “The aggressive remarks he made about the judge and the baseless accusations are straight from his usual tactics. He understands the implications of the case and is evidently very worried, which is why his statements reveal his concerns.”
Scaramucci’s remarks coincided with the start of closing arguments in Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan on Tuesday. After these arguments, the jury of twelve will deliberate on whether to convict Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The accusations involve Trump’s reimbursements to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who paid $130,000 to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in October 2016 to keep silent about an alleged affair. Trump has pleaded not guilty and consistently denied the affair with Daniels.
During the holiday weekend, Trump used his social media platform, Truth Social, to criticize Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, labeling him as “radical” and “highly conflicted” ahead of the court’s resumption on Tuesday.
Judge Merchan had previously imposed a gag order prohibiting Trump from publicly speaking about any witnesses, prosecutors, staff, or the judge’s friends or family. However, the order does not prevent Trump from criticizing Judge Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Scaramucci, who briefly served in the Trump administration before being fired, acknowledged the efforts of Trump’s defense team but expressed skepticism about their effectiveness.
“The evidence strongly suggests that the law was broken,” Scaramucci stated. “The crucial question is whether the twelve jurors will see it that way.”