The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office sharply criticized Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of violating a gag order “seven more times” in recent days, expressing their frustration as “absurd.”
The most alarming instance, according to prosecutor Chris Conroy, occurred when Trump shared a quote from Fox News host Jesse Watters on Truth Social, alleging that “undercover liberal activists” were deceiving the judge to infiltrate the jury in his hush money trial.
In addition to this, Trump, aged 77, reposted various clips, including an editorial from The Post, which criticized his former lawyer and “fixer” Michael Cohen – a former convict expected to testify in the landmark Manhattan Supreme Court trial.
Judge Juan Merchan has explicitly forbidden the former president from disparaging jurors or witnesses involved in the criminal case, as well as from targeting the families of court personnel, including relatives of the judge and District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump’s attorney, Emil Bove, argued that the ex-president did not deliberately violate the judge’s gag order, citing “ambiguities” within the order. Bove contended that Trump’s reposting of public comments from other users did not breach the order.
Furthermore, Bove asserted that Cohen had been targeting Trump in relation to his campaign, suggesting that Trump’s responses were directed towards that issue rather than the trial itself.
However, Conroy countered these arguments, stating that the posts clearly defied the order, and urged Merchan to hold Trump in contempt of court, which could result in fines and potentially up to 30 days of jail time.
“It’s absurd. This behavior must cease,” Conroy emphasized.
Earlier on Tuesday, the DA’s Office had similarly petitioned Merchan to impose a $3,000 fine on Trump and caution him about the possibility of imprisonment for his attacks on the person he allegedly paid off and his previous criticisms of Cohen over the weekend.
Merchan had indicated that he would address the DA’s motion on April 23.
Trump stands accused of falsifying business records to conceal his payment of $130,000 through Cohen in the run-up to the 2016 election.
He has consistently denied these allegations, portraying the case as part of a Democratic conspiracy to thwart his reelection efforts through litigation and criminal charges.
{Rachel Weinfeld – Matzav.com}
Trump