Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) compared the Trump business records trial to the “sham trial” the old Soviet Union used against “political opponents.”
Rubio’s comments came hours after Judge Juan Merchan, overseeing former President Donald Trump’s trial, instructed the jury before deliberations began. Various reports came out regarding what Merchan said in his instructions.
CNN reported that Merchan told jurors they “must be unanimous if they find Trump guilty on each count – on whether he committed the crime personally, acted in concert with others or both.”
Others, such as John Roberts, the co-anchor of America Reports on Fox News, and George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley reported that Merchan said there was “no need to agree on what occurred. They can disagree on what the crime was among the three choices. Thus, they could split 4-4-4 and he will still treat them as unanimous.”
“Judge in Trump case in NYC just told the jury they don’t have to unanimously agree on which crime was committed as long as they all at least pick one,” Rubio wrote in his post on X. “And that among the crimes they can pick from are ones Trump WASN’T EVEN CHARGED WITH!!! This is exactly the kind of sham trial used against political opponents of the regime in the old Soviet Union.”
Republican Senator from Florida Marco Rubio speaks during a rally in support of Republican gubernatorial incumbent Gov. Ron DeSantis, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2022, in Hialeah, Fla. DeSantis will face U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist in November. (AP Photo/Gaston De Cardenas)
During the mid-to-late 1930s, while the Soviet Union was under the control of dictator Joseph Stalin, there were “show trials,” which refers to the “Great Purge.” The trials were “clearly staged events,” in which those accused of crimes had “admitted to being traitors and spies,” according to History.com.
“Later, historians learned that the defendants agreed to these forced confessions only after being interrogated, threatened and tortured,” the outlet added.
Several other members of the Republican Party, including entrepreneur and former GOP 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), have described the Trump trial as being a “sham.”
On May 14, Ramaswamy gathered outside the Trump business records trial with Gov. Doug Burgum (R-ND), and Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Cory Mills (R-FL) to hold a press conference.
“This is a sham. This is not the United States of America. This is some third-rate banana republic,” Ramaswamy said during his speech. “If this were happening in another country, we would be laughing at them as a sham democracy.”
Ramaswamy added that he was “ashamed as an American citizen” to watch what was happening in the trial.
