Trump angrily rebukes NYC judge overseeing his arraignment

Former President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform on Friday to vehemently criticize the New York City judge set to preside over his upcoming arraignment, accusing Justice Juan Merchan of bias and misconduct.

In a series of impassioned posts, Trump claimed that Merchan "railroaded" former Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg, who is currently serving time for tax fraud charges.

“The Judge ‘assigned’ to my Witch Hunt Case, a ‘Case’ that has NEVER BEEN CHARGED BEFORE, HATES ME. His name is Juan Manuel Marchan, was hand picked by Bragg & the Prosecutors,” Trump wrote, misspelling the judge's name.

Trump further alleged that Merchan was handpicked by District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the prosecutors, although a spokesperson for the New York State Courts has stated that the District Attorney's Office does not hand-pick judges for specific cases.

The former president also accused Merchan of strong-arming Weisselberg into accepting a plea deal, treating the Trump Organization unfairly, and suggested that an appeal is underway.

He claimed Merchan “is the same person who ‘railroaded’ my 75 year old former CFO, Allen Weisselberg, to take a ‘plea’ deal (Plead GUILTY, even if you are not, 90 DAYS, fight us in Court, 10 years (life!) in jail.”

“He strong armed Allen, which a judge is not allowed to do, & treated my companies, which didn’t ‘plead,’ VICIOUSLY. APPEALING!”

Weisselberg testified against the Trump Organization in a trial last year but reportedly did not cooperate with Bragg's grand jury probe.

Merchan, a seasoned jurist with more than 16 years of experience, is slated to preside over Trump's arraignment next week, which revolves around charges connected to alleged hush-money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels. The exact details of the indictment are currently sealed and unknown.

Despite Trump's accusations, Merchan's background reveals an accomplished legal career, including a law degree from Hofstra University, positions as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and as an attorney in the state Attorney General's Office, and an appointment to the bench in Bronx Family Court by Mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2006.