美国前总统唐纳德·特朗普周一向ABC新闻表示，他将在即将于纽约举行的刑事审判中作证封口费成人电影女演员斯托米·丹尼尔斯。
在他出庭后的新闻发布会上，当ABC新闻询问他是否会作证时，他说:“我作证没有问题。”“我没做错什么。”
“我不知道你怎么能在总统选举期间进行审判，”特朗普说，并重复了未经证实的说法，即他面临的法律斗争是他的对手进行的政治迫害的一部分。
负责此案的法官胡安·默沙东周一裁定，审判将从4月15日开始，拒绝了特朗普再次延期的要求。
特朗普去年4月拒不认罪一份34项罪名的起诉书指控他伪造商业记录封口费付款他当时的律师迈克尔·科恩在2016年总统大选前几天对丹尼尔斯说。前总统否认了所有不当行为。
该案最初定于周一开始挑选陪审团成员，本月早些时候，在辩护律师对联邦检察官延迟提供超过10万页的潜在证据提出质疑后，Merchan将该案休庭30天。
在新闻发布会上，当被美国广播公司新闻部问及定罪是否会损害他连任的机会时，特朗普说，“这也可能使我更受欢迎。”
另外，纽约上诉法院周一还裁定降低特朗普的保证金从4.64亿美元到1.75亿美元，在另一起民事欺诈案中，他被发现夸大其财产价值以获得更好的贷款条件。
如果特朗普在封口费案中作证，这将是特朗普在本选举周期中第三次出庭作证。特朗普面临四起刑事案件中的88项指控。他否认有任何不当行为。今年早些时候，这位前总统在作家让·卡罗尔(E. Jean Carroll)提起的纽约诽谤案中出庭作证被判支付8300万美元诽谤她。
特朗普周一对记者发表讲话时，似乎不确定他是否会用自己的钱来支持他的竞选活动。此前几天，他一直表示，他计划在不受欺诈案中4。64亿美元判决影响的情况下使用自己的钱。
“好吧，首先，这不关你的事，”特朗普在被问及现在债券金额已降至1.75亿美元时，是否计划用他的钱资助他的竞选时打趣道。“我可能会这么做。我有选择权。但如果我不得不花5亿美元购买债券，我就没有这个选择了。我不得不开始卖东西。”
特朗普表示，最初的4.64亿美元债券允许他“在我的竞选活动中花很少的钱。”
“如果我这样选择，我会把钱花在我的竞选上，”特朗普说。“我可能会在我的竞选活动上花很多钱。但我应该有这个选择权。”
特朗普打消了向外国实体借钱以获得1.75亿美元债券的想法。
“不，我不这样做。我想你可能会被允许。我不知道，”特朗普说。“坦率地说，最大的银行都在我们国家之外。所以你可以这么做，但是我不需要借钱。我有很多钱。”
Trump indicates he'd testify in hush money trial, says a conviction could 'make me more popular'
Former President Donald Trump indicated to ABC News on Monday that he would testify at his upcoming criminal trial in New York over ahush paymentto adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
"I would have no problem testifying," he said when ABC News asked at a press conference, following his court appearance in the case, whether he would testify. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"I don't know how you can have a trial in the middle of a presidential election," Trump said, repeating unsubstantiated claims that the legal battles he faces are a part of a political persecution by his opponents.
The judge overseeing the case, Juan Merchan, ruled Monday that the trial willbegin on April 15, rejecting Trump's request for an additional delay.
Trump last Aprilpleaded not guiltyto a 34-count indictment charging him with falsifying business records in connection with ahush money paymenthis then-attorney Michael Cohen made to Daniels just days before the 2016 presidential election. The former president has denied all wrongdoing.
The case, which was initially scheduled to begin jury selection on Monday, was adjourned for 30 days by Merchan earlier this month, after defense attorneys raised issues with the late production of over 100,000 pages of potential evidence by federal prosecutors.
Asked by ABC News at the press conference if a conviction could hurt his chances for reelection, Trump said, "It could also make me more popular."
Separately, New York's appellate court also ruled on Monday tolower Trump's bondfrom $464 million to $175 million in a separate civil fraud case in which he was found to have inflated the value of his properties to get better loan terms.
If Trump testifies in the hush money case, it would be the third court testimony in this election cycle for Trump, who faces 88 charges across four criminal cases. He has denied all wrongdoing. Earlier this year, the former president took the stand in a New York defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, in which he wasordered to pay $83 millionfor defaming her.
Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump appeared uncertain about whether he would be spending his own money to support his campaign, after saying for days that he was planning to use his own money where he not thwarted by the $464 million judgment in his fraud case.
"Well, first of all, it's none of your business," Trump quipped when asked if he now plans to use his money to finance his campaign now that the bond amount has been lowered to $175 million. "I might do that. I have the option. But if I have to spend $500 million on the bond, I wouldn't have that option. I'd have to start selling things."
Trump said the original $464 million bond allowed him to "spend very little money on my campaign."
"If I so choose, I'll be spending money on my campaign," Trump said. "I might spend a lot of money on my campaign. But I should have that option."
Trump dismissed the idea of borrowing money from foreign entities to secure the $175 million bond.
"No, I don't do that. I think you'd be allowed to, possibly. I don't know," Trump said. "The biggest banks frankly, are outside of our country. So you could do that but, I don't need to borrow money. I have a lot of money."
