In a new discussion on CNN, former federal government lawyer Ryan Goodman said that former President Donald Trump was seemingly violating his New York City gag order — again — with a recent diatribe on the Trump-branded knock-off social media site Truth Social in which he complained about witness testimony… using denigrating language that he’s previously used for Stormy Daniels.
Daniels, who allegedly had a sexual encounter with Trump and who ultimately received hush money in connection to that alleged incident, was testifying this week amid Trump’s criminal trial on charges of falsifying business records in connection to that money. The allegedly falsified records related to repayments for former Trump ally Michael Cohen, who provided Daniels’ funds. Trial Judge Juan Merchan — known in local legal parlance as a Justice — imposed a gag order on Trump earlier in the proceedings that protects witnesses, jurors, and others, and Trump was already threatened with possible prison for future violations.
“It’s obvious, from context, who Donald Trump is talking about,” said Goodman. “If you knew nothing, you would know he’s probably talking about Stormy Daniels’ testimony and having to sit back and listen to it, but then if you know about some of the other Truth Social posts that he has put out, including one in which he identifies her as a ‘sleazebag’ who was lying and making misrepresentations,” then the suggested implications become even clearer, argued the legal figure.
“Watch this space,” Goodman added on X (formerly called Twitter). “Former President Trump has made a Truth Social post that appears to violate his gag order by going after Stormy Daniels. Extraordinary since Justice Merchan recently warned the defendant that incarceration may be the next step.”
Trump has to attend the unfolding proceedings because of their specifically criminal nature. Daniels, meanwhile, started on the stand under questioning from prosecutors before cross-examination from the Trump defense team that moved forward on Thursday. In the middle of all that, the judge rejected a Trump push for a mistrial.
