OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The judge presiding over the former president’s hush money trial in Manhattan imposed an unprecedented gag order on him, but he essentially disregarded it by using his social media platform on Tuesday to criticize the proceedings and the jurist in question.
On Tuesday, court proceedings began with a hearing on a gag order after District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a motion last week to hold the 45th President in contempt of court. The allegations are that he violated the gag order on three separate occasions.
Trump could potentially face a $1,000 fine for each purported violation. Bragg further requested that Judge Merchan consider imposing up to 30 days of imprisonment for any future breaches of the gag order. This order restricts Trump from publicly discussing prosecutors, witnesses, court personnel, and their relatives.
During the court proceedings, Merchan admonished Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche, stating that he was “losing all credibility with this court” regarding the gag order issue, as reported by Fox News. The judge engaged in a heated exchange with the defense regarding social media posts made by the president on Truth Social, debating whether reposting third-party news articles on his account constituted a violation of the gag order.
But the exchange left Trump undaunted, as he fired off a Truth Social post shortly after the in-court exchange.
“HIGHLY CONFLICTED, TO PUT IT MILDLY, JUDGE JUAN MERCHAN, HAS TAKEN AWAY MY CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH. EVERYBODY IS ALLOWED TO TALK AND LIE ABOUT ME, BUT I AM NOT ALLOWED TO DEFEND MYSELF,” he wrote in all caps.
He added later: “THIS IS A KANGAROO COURT, AND THE JUDGE SHOULD RECUSE HIMSELF!”
Judge Merchan could fine or jail Trump today for violating his gag order
Meanwhile Michael Cohen has been mouthing off throughout this entire trial
Total Witch Hunt
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) April 23, 2024
On Monday, the day the trial began, Trump called the criminal trial a “Biden Trial” and stated that all of his cases were, in fact, linked to the president in some way. “It’s all about Election Interference. Sad!”
And last week, he called the proceedings a “Communist Show Trial” while speaking to supporters in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, a new survey found that a majority of respondents don’t believe Trump will get a fair shake in his hush money trial, which began in Manhattan.
Just 4-in-10 of those surveyed by Rasmussen Reports think Trump’s treatment in the trial will be fair, Newsmax reported, noting that 51 percent of those polled believe that.
Among that majority, 31 percent said a fair trial is “not at all likely.”
On Monday, opening statements began in the historic trial, marking the first criminal proceedings against a former U.S. president. Trump stands accused of falsifying business records to silence an adult film actress regarding an alleged affair before the 2016 election.
Rasmussen asked voters, “How likely is it that Trump will be able to get a fair trial in New York City?”
Just 42 percent say it’s likely Trump will be able to get a fair trial, and that included only 27 percent saying it’s very likely, according to the Rasmussen results.
Trump sounded off about his trial taking place in New York City on Monday over “hush money” he allegedly directed his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, to make to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
“This is a Biden witch hunt to keep me off the campaign trail,” Trump said. “I should be in Georgia now. I should be in Florida now. I should be in a lot of different places right now, campaigning. And I’m sitting here. This will go on for a long time. It’s very unfair.”
“I did nothing wrong,” Trump repeated.
“They take this payment, and they call it a legal expense. You heard it today for the first time. This is what I got indicted over. This is what took me off and takes me on the campaign trail. Because I should be in Georgia and now. I should be in Florida now. I should be in a lot of different places right now, campaigning. And I’m sitting here. This will go on for a long time. It’s very unfair. The judge is conflicted, as you know. It’s very unfair what’s going on. I should be allowed to campaign,” Trump said.
“Whoever heard of this? To get indicted for that. People in the court said I can’t believe it. This is the case. We did nothing wrong. The other thing is, if this is such a great case, why didn’t the southern district bring it, who looked at it? Why didn’t numerous other agencies and law enforcement groups look at it? Because it was shown to everybody,” Trump added.
