Judge Rejects Trump Lawyer’s Gag Order Defense: “You’re Losing All Credibility” – By Chris Walker (Truthout) / April 24, 2024
Prosecutors seek a $1,000 fine for each of the 10 times Trump has seemingly violated the court-imposed gag order.
New York Justice Juan Merchan, the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s hush money trial, has so far refused to issue a formal decision over whether Trump violated a gag order in the case, although he chastised Trump’s lawyers on Tuesday for claiming their client was trying to follow the rules imposed on him.
Trump has been charged with 34 counts relating to covering up hush money payments to women he allegedly had affairs with, using his business expenses as a cover to conceal the payments during the 2016 presidential campaign. After Trump released numerous false and threatening statements on social media regarding people involved in the case, a gag order was issued against him in March, specifically forbidding him from making comments that could interfere with the case, including statements regarding potential witnesses, prosecutors’ families, court staff and their family members.
Trump has claimed at various points that the gag order is a violation of his First Amendment speech rights. However, such orders are not uncommon, especially in instances where individuals could potentially alter the outcome of a trial due to their intimidation of witnesses or other involved actors.
