After prosecutors listed Donald Trump’s ten alleged violations of the gag order, they requested that the defendant be reminded that incarceration is a chance if he continues. Trump’s legal professionals couldn’t defend their consumer’s actions, so that they resorted to claiming that it was political speech and that nobody had stopped him from reposting issues so he figured it was okay. The Choose was not impressed, and warned the protection they had been dropping all credibility with the court docket.
Earlier than Day 2 of Donald Trump’s first prison trial obtained underway, the matter of his potential contempt of court docket by violating the gag order was addressed.
Choose Merchan started by noting that the burden is on the prosecution to show Defendant Trump has dedicated contempt. Trump is accused of violating the gag order ten occasions, on his Reality Social account and his official marketing campaign website. The orders are the April 1 order to indicate trigger filed by the prosecution and a second one on April 18.
“Prosecution: Trump violated, TEN TIMES, the expanded gag order. 8 were on his Truth Social account and 2 were on his official campaign website,” MSNBC’s Katie Phang shared.
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“ADA Christopher Conroy: The court found the ‘types of extrajudicial statements’ Trump made pose a ‘very real threat’ to the integrity of the proceedings. Yesterday, ‘here in this building, right outside those doors […] the defendant violated the order again on camera,’” MSNBC’s Adam Klasfeld reported.
He additional reported that prosecutors mentioned they’d be submitting one other software for an order to indicate trigger on the alleged violation from the earlier night in a while Tuesday.
“The prosecutor says Trump seems to think: ‘No one is off-limits to this defendant, and he can attack and intimidate any one he wants.’”
The alleged violations at difficulty on Tuesday morning are as follows, as reported by Klasfeld:
Trump alleged gag order violations #1
Conroy took on the protection’s narrative that that is Trump’s free political speech, saying that actually, placing MAGA right into a publish makes it extra ominous: “Throwing a ‘MAGA’ into a post doesn’t make it political. It may make it more ominous.”
However in the long run, the prosecutor doesn’t ask that the defendant be jailed, however moderately that he as soon as once more be warned, along with fines that Trump pays so simply they function no deterrent.
“Prosecutor: The Court docket can fantastic Trump $1000 for every violation or be jailed as much as 30 days.
We search that you just max him out at $1000 fantastic for every of the violations. Make him take away the entire offending posts. Lastly, warn the defendant that his conduct won’t be tolerated and that incarceration is an possibility,” Katie Phang reported.
Andrew Weissman made the purpose on MSNBC Monday night that Trump is being handled a lot better than another defendant can be in these circumstances, and this seems to be yet one more instance of the extraordinary privilege being afforded to the previous president.
After Rachel #Maddow performs audio of Trump jury tampering tonight, Andrew Weissmann mentioned, “We have seen the legal system bend over sort of so far to accommodate Donald Trump. He is not being treated worse. He’s being treated so much better.” pic.twitter.com/lXhI5d3sbB
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) April 23, 2024
Trump’s lawyer argued that the defendant didn’t violate the gag order, that he is aware of what it says and that his speech was political.
Right here’s a replica of what the gag order says:
ORDERED, that the Court docket’s Order of March 26, 2024, is amended as indicated under.
Defendant is directed to chorus from:
a. Making or directing others to make public statements about recognized or fairly foreseeable witnesses regarding their potential participation within the investigation or on this prison continuing;
b. Making or directing others to make public statements about (1) counsel within the case apart from the District Legal professional, (2) members of the court docket’s employees and the District Legal professional’s employees, or (3) the relations of any counsel, employees member, the Court docket or the District Legal professional, if these statements are made with the intent to materially intervene with, or to trigger others to materially intervene with, counsel’s or employees’s work on this prison case, or with the information that such interference is more likely to end result; and
b. Making or directing others to make public statements about any potential juror or any juror on this prison continuing.
George Conway summed up the protection argument, saying “Blanche is pretty much arguing there’s a ‘running for president’ exception to the gag order that has been specifically directed at the man running for defendant. Merchan now getting pissed at Blanche’s unresponsiveness and evasiveness.”
Trump is sitting there with a frown on his face as his lawyer is “struggling to respond,” in line with Phang.
Choose Merchan is “calling out Trump’s lie” in regards to the timing of his “response” to a years outdated Stormy Daniels assertion, which Trump mentioned had simply been discovered, per Conway.
When the Choose requested for caselaw that helps Trump’s place that he can repost and that doesn’t violate the gag order, Blanche mentioned, “I don’t have any cases. It’s just common sense.”
Spoiler: It’s not widespread sense which you can keep away from duty for what you amplify just by blasting to your supporters another person’s phrases whereas underneath a gag order.
Trump’s lawyer tried to argue that as a result of no penalties had been meted out up to now, he thought it was okay to repost. “Blanche says that he’s trying to argue that Trump’s history of reposting has gone “unchecked” by the prosecution or court docket. That historical past goes to Trump’s wilfulness, he says.
The purpose appears to be that Trump thought reposting was OK bc he’s achieved it earlier than w/o consequence,” Anna Bower reported.
This was met with the Judge telling him, “You’re losing all credibility with the court.”
The Choose additionally advised Trump’s lawyer that his consumer had “manipulated” what Jesse Waters mentioned, so on high of Trump not simply blasting different individuals’s feedback, he manipulated what they mentioned.
The Choose doesn’t appear impressed by the protection arguments, however once more, because the Weissman look emphasised, the previous president is being given extra latitude than another defendant would. The argument that he ought to be allowed to intimidate jurors and assault the choose and his household as a result of it’s political speech is indicative of Donald Trump’s modus operandi. It is a man who as president incited an assault on his personal nation, for “political” causes.
If being “political” is a literal get out of jail free card, then the Republican Celebration will be happy with beginning a development amongst criminals of operating for president.
The court docket is on a break till 11 AM. The Choose mentioned he was going to order determination on the matter of the alleged gag order violations, which Anna Bower says means he’ll give it some thought and announce a choice someday later.
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Sarah has been credentialed to cowl President Barack Obama, then VP Joe Biden, 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, and completely interviewed Speaker Nancy Pelosi a number of occasions and completely lined her first dwelling look after the primary impeachment of then President Donald Trump.
Sarah is two-time Telly award profitable video producer and a member of the Society of Skilled Journalists.
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