Former US President Donald Trump was found to have broken a gag order while on trial, holding him in judicial hatred and threatening him with prison time for any additional transgressions, according to New York County Judge Juan Merchan.
Merchan also mandated that Trump take down the” seven alienating content” from Truth Social.
The judge wrote in the order that the defendant is “warned that the Court may not bear continued intentional violations of its constitutional orders and that it will impose an incarceration penalty if necessary and appropriate in the circumstances.”
ORDERED, that Defendant give a$ 1, 000 good for each of the nine violations of this Court’s valid attempt by the close of business on Friday, May 3, 2024, and it is further , ORDERED that Defendant reduce the seven insulting posts from Defendant’s Truth Social account and the two offending content from his campaign website by , 2: 15pm , Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
Merchan had the authority to sentence Trump to prison for up to 30 days for allegedly breaking his gag order. According to court reporters, Democratic District Attorney Alvin Bragg resisted asking the judge to sentence Trump for allegedly breaking the order.
Judge Juan Merchan ( AP Photo/Seth Wenig )
Trump appeared to call Bragg’s bluff. Trump , said , in April that it , would be a” GREAT HONOR” to become a “modern- day Nelson Mandela” in the” clink” for speaking the truth about Merchan.
The gag order , prevents , Trump from making public comments about witnesses participating in the trial, counsel other than Bragg, “members of the court’s staff and the District Attorney’s staff, or … the family members of any counsel or staff member, if those statements are made with the intent to materially interfere with … counsel’s or staff’s work” on the case. Prospective jurors are also included in it.
Trump previously addressed reporters outside the Manhattan courthouse,” The gag order has to come off.” People are permitted to mention me, and I’ve been given a gag order to illustrate just how unfair it is.
Trump remarked about his political rivals,” They can say anything they want.” They are free to continue to fabricate lies and make up everything else. They lie. They’re real scum. But you know what, I’m not allowed to speak”.
Why do I keep telling the truth, so I keep saying it? Trump questioned. ” I’m only telling the truth. They’re not telling the truth”.
In the criminal case involving alleged election interference, Bragg charged Trump with 34 felonies, as well as a payment to Michael Cohen for a legal retainer. The trial is the first of its kind to date involve a US president. Trump could face jail time if convicted.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg ( Michael M. Santiago/Getty )
A majority of Americans are skeptical that Trump’s criminal case will come to an acceptable conclusion, according to a CNN poll released on Friday. According to the CNN poll, more than 13 percent of Americans believe that Trump is being treated the same way as other” criminal defendants” while the majority of Americans believe the criminal trial of him is irrelevant to his ability to win reelection.
Only about one- third of American adults , believe , Trump did anything illegal regarding the case, an AP- NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found Tuesday.
The case is , New York v. Trump,  , No. 71543- 23, in the New York Supreme Court for New York County.
Wendell Husebo worked for Breitbart News as a political analyst before becoming a Republican War Room Analyst. He is the author of , Politics of Slave Morality.  , Follow Wendell on ,” X” , @Wendell Husebø or on , Truth Social , @Wendell Husebo.
