Trump: There Was No 'Hush Money,' Almost Everyone Has an NDA
AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson
There was no “slush fund” or “hush money” in relation to former President Donald Trump's business records trial in New York, Trump made clear during a press conference Friday morning.
Trump addressed the country following the Manhattan jury finding him guilty on all 34 counts in his business records trial. He spoke about as many aspects of the case as he could under Judge Juan Merchan's gag order.
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“They weren't crimes. They weren't crimes, nor is paying money under an NDA. So we have an NDA, non-disclosure agreement. It's a big deal, a nondisclosure agreement. Totally honorable, totally good, totally accepted,” Trump said, explaining that virtually every company has non-disclosure agreements.
“Everybody has them. Every company has non-disclosure agreements. But the press called it slush fund and all sorts of other things. Hush money, hush money. It's not hush money. It's called a non-disclosure agreement, and most of the people in this room have a non-disclosure agreement with their company,” Trump pointed out, calling the situation a “disgrace.”
“It's not hush money. It's a non-disclosure agreement. Totally legal. Totally common. Everyone has it. And what happened is, he signed a non-disclosure agreement … but it's totally honest. You're allowed to make the payment. You don't have to make it — you can make it any way you want. It's a non-disclosure agreement. And he signed that, and there was nothing wrong with signing it. And this should have been a non-case and everybody said it was a non-case, including [Alvin] Bragg,” Trump said, noting that prosecutors conveniently changed their mind when Trump decided to run for office and was dominating in popularity.
Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds up a fist as he arrives back at Trump Tower after being convicted in his criminal trial in New York City, on May 30, 2024. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
“Then they saw the polls. I was leading the Republicans. I was leading the Democrats … leading everybody. And all of a sudden, they brought it back. It's a very sad thing that's happening in our country,” Trump said, explaining that he his honored to be at the helm of the chaos for the good of the country.
“I'm honored in a way … It's not that it's pleasant. It's very bad for family. It's very bad for friends and businesses, but I'm honored to be involved in it because somebody has to do it,” Trump said.
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“And I might as well keep going and be the one. But I'm very honored to be involved because we're fighting for our Constitution,” Trump added, emphasizing that “the money that was paid, was paid legally, there was nothing illegal.”
“In fact, the lawyer in creating the NDA — because at that time he was a fully accredited lawyer. He wasn't a fixer,” Trump added, presumably referring to his disgraced former attorney, Michael Cohen, without mentioning his name.
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