Joyce White Vance, a former federal prosecutor who served throughout Barack Obama’s time as president, argued Tuesday that former President Donald Trump should face new restrictions on his public commentary after some of his latest diatribes amid a New York City criminal case.
That case, which accuses the ex-president of the falsification of business records, is slated for trial in the middle of next month after a short delay over the comparatively late availability of some materials related to the case and pre-trial preparations. Judge Juan Merchan, who is handling the case at the trial level, rejected allegations from the Trump team of misconduct by prosecutors in their handling of discovery materials, meaning materials made available as part of those pre-trial prep routines. Trump characteristically went after Merchan on social media this Tuesday, this time roping in a daughter to the judge, about whom Trump made additional allegations of bias.
“Trump puts a target not only [on] Judge Merchan in the criminal case in Manhattan but on his daughter,” Vance observed on X, formerly Twitter. “This is a rank effort at intimidating the judge by threatening his family. It merits a gag order but also serious pushback from GOP leadership–which we know won’t come.”
Trump has faced gag orders previously, and he’s still mad — referencing it on social media — after the restrictions put on his public commentary amid a civil case brought in New York that successfully alleged a years-long pattern of business fraud.
Trump was, in fact, hit with a gag order on Tuesday in the Manhattan criminal case, though it actually doesn’t cover potentially public commentary by Trump about the judge. It does restrict a variety of commentary from Trump ensnaring expected witnesses, jurors, and others. A gag order was previously sought by the local prosecutors going after Trump in this case.
