New York Judge Juan Merchan, who is handling the criminal trial in Manhattan on charges against former President Donald Trump of falsifying business records, has now set up a return for the ex-White House occupant’s team to court to answer for newly alleged violations by Trump of a gag order.
Merchan previously imposed the order to protect witnesses, jurors, and others connected to the case — closely and less so. Trump, in turn, has commented and/or posted publicly about some of those protected, whether via a courthouse rant about ex-ally Michael Cohen or Truth Social posts. Prosecutors already accused Trump of a series of gag order violations, but they added four such accusations to their push on Thursday, singling out commentary invoking the trial jury.
“As proceedings end, Justice Merchan announces he’s signed the order to show cause on Trump’s four latest alleged gag order violations. He’s scheduled a hearing on Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. ET,” legal journalist Adam Klasfeld posted Thursday.
UPDATE: The hearing was moved to the following day, Thursday of next week.
The order does not block Trump from attacking the judge himself and District Attorney Alvin Bragg — the lead prosecutor on the case, elected by local voters — and Trump has utilized this opportunity amid the proceedings. “We have a Rigged Judge, who is working for the Democrat Party and refuses to terminate this “case,” which should have never been brought by Soft on Crime Alvin Bragg. Judge Merchan should immediately removed, and the Appellate Courts have to take over,” Trump wrote online just the other day.
Trump also continues trying to put some blame on the Biden White House for his current legal troubles stretching across four criminal cases and additional civil proceedings… and there’s still no real-world evidence proving such a thing.
At Trump’s trial on Thursday, jurors heard additional testimony from media figure David Pecker, who spoke to allegations of past ambitions from Trump and the former president’s team of tamping down negative stories that were swirling around Trump.
