Former President Donald Trump will be forced to remain silent throughout his election interference criminal trial in Manhattan, a New York appeals court said Tuesday.
Trump may now file a petition with the New York Court of Appeals.
The gag order prohibits Trump from making public comments about witnesses in the trial, counsel other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin 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. It also encompasses prospective jurors.
Found in the order:
“We find that Justice Merchan properly weighed petitioner’s First Amendment Rights against the court’s historical commitment to ensuring the fair administration of justice in criminal cases, and the right of persons related or tangentially related to the criminal proceedings from being free from threats, intimidation, harassment, and harm.”
“Justice Merchan properly determined that petitioner’s public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses in this case as well.”
VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNELBut they think it is perfectly okay to have witnesses like Michael Cohen go out and trash Trump on social media platforms. Normally, when a judge puts out a gag order, he does it on both sides of the aisle. As it stands right now, witnesses can go on social media and trash the defendant, who is banned from being able to respond to anything that is said publicly.
So now we know the appeals court is in on the little commie election interference sham.
Think about the reality here. Everyone involved in this trial knows and understands that it is bogus at best, and what they are doing is probably criminal. They know that the charges have run out of the statute of limitations, but they went forward anyway. They know that reimbursing a lawyer for services rendered is considered a legal expense. Yet they are charging Trump with doctoring paperwork for the reimbursements to Michael Cohen for legal services rendered. Everything they are doing is to stop Trump from being able to campaign in a presidential election and to harm him publicly. And what is so mind-boggling is that these bad actors, from the prosecutors and witnesses to the judge himself, know that everyone knows what they are doing is wrong, but they don’t care. They must feel protected. And they are protected. Who was going to bring them to justice? The FBI? Don’t make me laugh. The Biden DOJ? Again, don’t make me laugh. On the New York side, Leticia James? She’s the communist who started all of this.
I still think that it is amazing that the prosecution’s star witness is a convicted perjurer, and the media just skips over that and reports on his testimony like he is some revered legal witness.
Trump says the gag order is unlawful. “You ask me questions; I’m not allowed to respond,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday before entering the courtroom. “The gag order has to come off.”
Earlier in May, New York County Judge Juan Merchan found for the second time that Trump breached his gag order during the trial, holding him in criminal contempt and threatening him with jail time for future violations.
Merchan fined Trump $1,000 for one offense. Merchan has previously penalized Trump for nine infractions. Trump’s eleventh contempt infraction came before the final ruling, not after. Following the initial gag order ruling, Trump did not push the boundaries further.
The case is Trump v. Merchan, No. 2024-02369, and it is heard at the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division, First Judicial Department.
#trumptrial #gagorder #manhattancase
