The judge overseeing Donald Trump’s trial regarding hush money paid to a New York porn star has issued a gag order, preventing the former president from verbally attacking witnesses, prosecutors, and jurors. This move, as reported by The New York Times, comes in response to Trump’s habit of lashing out at his legal adversaries.
Judge Juan Merchan implemented the gag order at the request of District Attorney Alvin Bragg, particularly after Trump directed repeated attacks toward the judge himself and even his daughter.
In a prior instance, Trump took to his Truth Social platform, branding Judge Juan Merchan as a “Trump Hater” suffering from “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” He also levied accusations against the judge’s daughter’s professional affiliations, alleging bias.
Trump’s outbursts aren’t limited to this trial; he has faced similar restrictions in other legal proceedings, such as his DC election interference trial and a civil fraud trial. In those cases, his attacks extended beyond the court, even targeting the judge’s family and court staff on social media.
The charges against Trump stem from allegations of falsifying business records to conceal payments made to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal, both involved in extramarital affairs with Trump. These payments, orchestrated by Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen, aimed to silence the women during the 2016 presidential campaign.
“Judge Juan Merchan, a very distinguished looking man, is nevertheless a true and certified Trump Hater who suffers from a very serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. In other words, he hates me!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform earlier in the day, adding:
His daughter is a senior executive at a Super Liberal Democrat firm that works for Adam “Shifty” Schiff, the Democrat National Committee, (Dem)Senate Majority PAC, and even Crooked Joe Biden. He was recently the judge on an unrelated trial of a long term employee, elderly and not in good health. This judge treated him viciously, telling him either you cooperate or I’m putting you in jail for 15 years. He pled, and went to jail for very minor offenses, highly unusual, served 4 months in Rikers, and now they are after him again, this time for allegedly lying (doesn’t look like a lie to me!), and they threatened him again with 15 years if he doesn’t say something bad about “TRUMP.” He is devastated and scared! These COUNTRY DESTROYING SCOUNDRELS & THUGS HAVE NO CASE AGAINST ME. WITCH HUNT!
