- On the first day of his ‘hush money’ trial in New York, Donald Trump appears to have violated his gag order by criticizing the jury during an interview
- Judge Juan Merchan had banned Trump from attacking jurors or making public statements about them
- Trump noted the jury is overwhelmingly Democrats – a hearing will be held Tuesday to determine whether Trump should be charged with contempt
It appears that Donald Trump has already violated his gag order on the very first day of his “hush money” trial in New York.
During an interview on Steve Bannon’s Real America’s Voice network, Trump attacked the jury.
Judge Juan Merchan had already entered a gag order banning Trump from attacking witnesses, jurors, prosecutors and several others.
‘That jury was chosen so quickly. 95 percent are Democrats. The area is largely democratic. You consider it a purely democratic area. I can tell you it’s a very unfair situation,” Trump said during the interview.
On the first day of his ‘hush money’ trial in New York, Donald Trump appears to have violated his gag order by criticizing the jury during an interview
Trump noted that the jury is predominantly made up of Democrats – a hearing will be held on Tuesday to determine whether Trump should be charged with contempt
Earlier this month, Judge Merchan specifically ordered Trump not to make any public statements about jurors sitting in his trial.
The order sets out how Trump would be in violation for: “making or inciting others to make public statements about a potential juror or juror in these criminal proceedings.”
Judge Merchan has now scheduled a hearing for Tuesday morning to consider prosecutors’ arguments that Trump violated his silence order — and that he should be held in contempt.
The hearing takes place without the jury being present.
Trump could face fines or jail time if he violates Merchan’s silence order, which would not stop him from criticizing the judge or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose office filed the charges last year.
New York prosecutors had argued in early April how Trump tried to scare potential witnesses and urged Judge Juan Merchan to clarify that his existing gag order, which bars Trump from publicly commenting on witnesses and court staff, also applies to family members .
In a March 28 social media post, Trump called Merchan’s daughter a “rabid Trump hater” and demanded the judge be removed from the case.
Judge Merchan has now scheduled a hearing for Tuesday morning to consider prosecutors’ arguments that Trump violated his silence order — and that he should be held in contempt.
Trump’s silence order has now been extended to Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter, Loren, seen at right, a Democratic political consultant
‘This issue is not complicated. Family members of trial participants must be strictly off limits,” prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote.
Merchan’s daughter, Loren, runs a digital marketing agency called Authentic Campaigns, which works with Democratic candidates and nonprofits.
Trump’s lawyers have argued that her work presents a conflict of interest and have tried unsuccessfully to oust Merchan from the case.
The judge had also made several small donations totaling $35 to Democratic causes during the 2020 campaign, including $15 to Biden.
A state court ethics panel ruled that Loren Merchan’s work did not affect his impartiality.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg successfully pushed for the judge’s silence order against Trump to be expanded
In a recent interview, Merchan said, “There is no agenda here. We want to follow the law. We want justice to be done.”
The judge said in a ruling last September that he was confident of his “ability to be fair and impartial” and that Trump’s lawyers had “failed to demonstrate that there are concrete, or even realistic, reasons to a refusal to be considered appropriate, let alone required on these grounds.’
In a recent interview, Merchan said, “There is no agenda here. We want to follow the law. We want justice to be done.”
The extension of the gag order came after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg asked a New York judge to consider his request.
Trump has previously quashed the silence order, saying it violates his First Amendment rights.