Trump Has Epic Response To Judge After Being Threatened With Jail Time
In his ongoing criminal trial concerning hush money, Donald Trump expressed frustration with the judge after receiving a stern warning that future breaches of the gag order could lead to incarceration.
"It is a truly disheartening experience to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a fundamental aspect of life in our Country, unjustly stripped from you, especially when all the unsavory characters, riffraff, and opportunists you oppose are allowed to freely voice whatever they wish," the former president vented on Truth Social early Wednesday.
"It's difficult to remain silent in the face of lies and false accusations being hurled at you, knowing that even the slightest response could result in being threatened with PRISON by a Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge, possibly for an extended period," he added.
At the core of the trial, now in its third week, lies the allegation that Trump falsified documents within his business to obscure the nature of payments made to his former attorney, Michael Cohen, aiming to refute claims of extramarital affairs during his 2016 presidential campaign. Maintaining his innocence, Donald Trump, the presumed Republican frontrunner, pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records linked to the hush money transactions.
Judge Juan M. Merchan imposed a $1,000 fine on Trump for violating the gag order on Monday, coupled with a warning of potential imprisonment. A week prior, Trump incurred a $9,000 penalty for nine previous breaches of the gag order.
"It appears the $1,000 fines are not serving as an effective deterrent. Henceforth, this court will need to contemplate a jail sanction," Merchan cautioned Trump, emphasizing that his statements "pose a threat to the fair administration of justice and constitute a direct assault on the rule of law. I cannot permit such behavior to persist."
Under the gag order issued in March, Trump is barred from publicly discussing the trial's witnesses, jurors, and certain other parties. Exceptions to this order include Merchan and the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is prosecuting the case. However, on April 1, Merchan extended the order to prohibit Trump from mentioning either the Merchan family or Bragg's family after Trump made derogatory remarks about the judge's daughter on multiple occasions.
Trump alleged on Truth Social that he is the target of a concerted effort to impede his bid to reclaim the presidency. As he gears up for the November rerun of the 2020 election, with Trump positioned as the presumptive Republican nominee facing off against President Joe Biden, he framed the situation as a reprise of past political battles.
"This Fascist mentality is emanating from D.C. It's a sophisticated smear campaign against Crooked Joe Biden's Political Opponent, ME!" Trump asserted.
He further accused other judges presiding over his civil fraud and defamation trials of being "corrupt."
“What these THUGS are doing is AN ATTACK ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION ITSELF,” Trump wrote. “OUR FIRST AMENDMENT MUST STAND, FREE AND STRONG. “GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!'”