The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s “hush money” criminal trial heard arguments on Tuesday over allegations that the former president had violated a gag order. Rather than ruling, Judge Juan Merchan delayed his decision.
Prosecutors say Trump has repeatedly violated the order with social media posts criticizing witnesses, court officials, and their families. Trump, for example, has referred to his former lawyer Michael Cohen and porn star Stormy Daniels, key witnesses, as “sleaze bags.”
But defense lawyer Todd Blanche argued that the posts didn’t violate the gag order and that Trump was simply using social media to respond to “political attacks.”
Merchangrew impatient as Blanche struggled to point to specific posts that Trump was reacting to, warning the attorney he was “losing all credibility with the court.”
What’s next? Prosecutors are requesting that Trump be fined $10,000, but Merchan, who didn’t seem convinced by the defense team’s case, postponed his ruling until a later (unspecified) date.
Trump sounds off. After Tuesday’s hearing on the gag order, Trump complained on Truth Social that he was facing a “kangaroo court.” He also said the order was unconstitutional and called for Merchan to recuse himself.