Former President Donald Trump says he will “absolutely” testify in his classified document trial next year.
Trump announced his intentions during an interview with Hugh Hewitt on Wednesday.
The former president has been charged with 37 counts related to him allegedly storing 300,000 classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence.
Trump has pleaded “not guilty” to all counts and has maintained that he had the power to declassify any documents he wanted to because of the Presidential Records Act.
“Did you tell anyone to move the boxes?” Hewitt asked during the interview.
“I don’t talk about anything,” Trump replied. “You know why? You know why? Because I’m allowed to do whatever I want. I come under the Presidential Records Act. I’m not telling you. You know, every time I talk to you, ‘oh, I have a breaking story.’ I come under the Presidential Records Act. I’m allowed to do everything I did.”
“But if you have to go to trial, will you testify in your own defense?” Hewitt asked.
Trump enthusiastically replied, “Oh, yes, absolutely.”
Trump isn’t afraid to testify.
Says he will “absolutely” take the stand. pic.twitter.com/vJhXcNaPJB
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) September 6, 2023
“You would take the stand?” Hewitt asked again.
.@hughhewitt: “If you have to go to trial, will you testify in your own defense?”
TRUMP: “YES, ABSOLUTELY!” pic.twitter.com/c2Q717N0d6
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) September 6, 2023
“That I would, that I look forward to. Because that’s just like Russia, Russia, Russia. That’s all the fake information from Russia, Russia, Russia,” Trump asserted.
In April, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Early last month, Trump was indicted by a grand jury over the events surrounding January 6, 2021. The four charges in that indictment include Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Conspiracy to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, Obstruction and Attempt to Obstruct an Official Proceeding, and Conspiracy Against Rights.
On August 14, Trump was indicted in Georgia by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on 13 new counts related to the Georgia election.
Though it is unlikely, Trump could be sentenced to a jaw-dropping combined total of 712 years and six months in prison for all of the 91 charges he faces in the various indictments.
The former president is currently the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican nomination.
This is the first time in history that a former president has faced federal charges.
