(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) During Apr. 23, 2024, hearing to consider alleged violations of the gag order imposed on his client, Donald Trump’s defense attorney was told by Judge Juan Merchan that he was “losing all credibility.”
Trump’s attorney Todd Blanche argued that Trump did not violate the order, which restricts him from making statements about witnesses, prosecutors besides the district attorney, court staff and jurors, family members of the staff, district attorney or judge, according to the Daily Caller.
Prosecutors argued that Trump violated the order ten times and urged Merchan in court filings to impose the maximum $1,000 fine for each of his alleged violations.
“He’s allowed to respond to political attacks, Your Honor. There is no dispute that President Trump is facing a barrage of political attacks from all sides, including from the two witnesses referenced in the early post,” Blanche told the judge during the hearing, referring to pornstar Stormy Daniels and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, two witnesses in the case who have frequently attacked Trump publicly, as “sleaze bags.”
Trump was being careful to comply with the order and was aware of what it prohibits, Blanche argued. The attorney also said that reposts are not subject to the order.
“You’re losing all credibility, I have to tell you right now. You’re losing all credibility with the court,” Merchan told Blanche.
On March 26, 2024, Merchan imposed the initial gag order on Trump and then expanded it on Apr. 1, 2024, to also restrict statements about “the family members of any counsel, staff member, the Court or the District Attorney.”
“This Court should warn the defendant that future violations of the Court’s restrictions on his extrajudicial statements can be punished not only with additional fines but also with a term of incarceration of up to thirty days,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg wrote in Apr. 15, 2024, filing.
