The judge overseeing the trial of the former president’s hush money case in Manhattan has imposed an extraordinary restriction on him, but he essentially ignored it by utilizing his social media platform on Tuesday to criticize the proceedings and the judge involved.
The court proceedings on Tuesday commenced with a hearing on the restriction 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 restriction on three separate occasions.
Trump could potentially be subjected to a $1,000 penalty for each alleged violation. Bragg further requested that Judge Merchan consider imposing a maximum of 30 days of imprisonment for any future breaches of the restriction. This restriction prohibits Trump from publicly discussing prosecutors, witnesses, court personnel, and their relatives.
During the court proceedings, Merchan reprimanded Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche, expressing that he was “losing all credibility with this court” in relation to the restriction issue, as reported by Fox News. The judge engaged in a heated argument with the defense regarding the president’s social media posts on Truth Social, debating whether sharing third-party news articles on his account constituted a violation of the restriction. However, this exchange did not deter Trump, as he promptly posted on Truth Social shortly after the in-court argument.
“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
Trump called the criminal trial a “Biden Trial… It’s all about Election Interference. Sad!”
He also called the proceedings a “Communist Show Trial” last week during a rally.
Seven years ago might have been reasonable. But, dredging this up, now, campaign season, is blatant, out-in-the-open election tampering!
Tin Pot Dictator strategy! Arrest your betters!