Judge in Trump’s Hush Money Case Slaps Him With Gag Order
Judge Juan Merchan placed a gag order on former President Donald Trump, banning him from attacking jurors, potential witnesses, and court staff.
The hush money case stems from Trump allegedly paying off porn star Stormy Daniels.
Trump can still go after Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.
- Making or directing others to make public statements about known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses concerning their potential participation in the investigation or in this criminal proceeding;
- Making or directing others to make public statements about (1) counsel in the case other than the District Attorney, (2) members of the court’s staff and the District Attorney’s staff, or (3) the family members of any counsel or staff member, if those statements are made with the intent to materially interfere with, or to cause others to materially interfere with, counsel’s or staff’s work in this criminal case, or with the knowledge that such interference is likely to result; and
- Making or directing others to make public statements about any prospective juror or any juror in this criminal proceeding.
Jury selection begins on April 15. Merchan delayed the trial after the defense received thousands of pages of potential evidence.
Merchan chose not to delay it more but gave the defense a chance “to file a motion seeking to delay the trial based on pre-trial publicity concerns.”
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has one week to respond.
A Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
DA Alvin Bragg inherited the case when he came into office in 2022 but suspended it. Then, he brought it back when Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign.
Supposedly, Trump paid Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair. His former lawyer, Michael Cohen, said he set it up and paid it out of his pocket, and the Trump Organization paid him back as “legal expenses.”
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