Judge Expands Gag Order on Donald Trump in NY Hush Money Case

There has been a lot of discussion about the limited gag order that was placed on Trump in the hush money case brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg.

After the gag order was placed, Donald Trump posted a rant on Truth Social, which Bragg used to ask for an expanded gag order.

On Monday, Judge Merchan ruled on the motion, deciding in favor of Bragg to expand the order.

Keep Him Quiet

Merchan has expanded the order to now include family members of both Judge Merchan and Alvin Bragg.

Merchan stated that Trump has shown a "pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose.

“It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings, that not only they, but their family members as well, are 'fair game' for Defendant's vitriol.

"It is no longer just a mere possibility or a reasonable likelihood that there exists a threat to the integrity of the judicial proceedings. The threat is very real."

Merchan concluded, "The average observer must now, after hearing Defendant's recent attacks, draw the conclusion that if they become involved in these proceedings, even tangentially, they should worry not only for themselves, but for their loved ones as well.

“Such concerns will undoubtedly interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitutes a direct attack on the Rule of Law itself.”

Trump’s attorneys argued that Trump’s attacks were protected under the First Amendment as political speech.

The filing stated, "President Trump’s comments concerning Your Honor’s daughter are, properly understood, a criticism of the Court’s prior decision not to recuse itself.

"President Trump’s social media posts amplified defense arguments regarding the need for recusal that have been, and will continue to be, the subject of motion practice.”

Trump was critical of Merchan’s daughter because she works for Authentic Campaigns, a firm that has worked with, among others, Kamala Harris and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), as well as the DNC.

The DNC and Schiff have been fundraising off Trump’s legal issues, raising more than $90 million, which is why Trump attacked Loren Merchan, claiming that his prosecution was good for her business interests.

As I have stated before, if I were one of Trump’s attorneys, I would be begging him to stop commenting on these cases without a review of the comments by his legal team to ensure they are not violating the gag orders.

He has every right to defend himself, but he has to know the manner in which he is choosing to do so is poking the bear, and the bear has all the power in this case.