'It's ridiculous': Judge slammed as he expands Trump's gag order in hush money case to bar attacks on family members of court

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In yet another twist in the legal saga surrounding Donald Trump's hush money case, Judge Juan Merchan expanded his previously imposed gag order on Monday, April 1, prohibiting the ex-POTUS from targeting family members of individuals involved in the upcoming trial.

The decision follows repeated attacks by Trump against the daughter of Judge Merchan. The Manhattan District Attorney's office had pushed for this expanded order, citing the White House hopeful's rhetoric as "dangerous" and "violent."

Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo mentioned Donald Trump's 'dangerous sense of entitlement' while addressing his recent attacks

In a court filing, one of the key prosecutors in the hush money case, Matthew Colangelo, stressed the necessity of strict boundaries, saying, "This issue is not complicated. Family members of trial participants must be strictly off-limits." 

He added, "Defendant’s insistence to the contrary bespeaks a dangerous sense of entitlement to instigate fear and even physical harm to the loved ones of those he sees in the courtroom."

On March 26, Trump was put on a partial gag order by Judge Merchan to prevent him from publicly criticizing witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and jurors. While it initially did not explicitly mention Merchan's or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's relatives, it now encompasses them following the recent expansion.

This came after the ex-POUTS took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on multiple occasions to target Loren Merchan, the daughter of Judge Merchan, over her political affiliations and work history. 

Trump claims Loren's history of working with Democrats was influencing the judge's animosity toward him. He even asserted, albeit without evidence, that Loren had posted an image of him behind bars on her social media account.

Court officials insisted that the account Trump referenced was not active and that Loren had abandoned it long ago. The White House hopeful's legal team, consisting of Susan Necheles and Todd Blanche, argued for his constitutional right to criticize the judge's family, citing it as part of his campaign advocacy.

They asserted that any attempt to curtail their client would "improperly restrict campaign advocacy by the presumptive Republican nominee and leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election." 

The hush money case, the trial of which is set to begin on April 15, alleges Trump falsified business records to conceal payments made to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election to keep her silent about an alleged affair.

Trump has maintained his innocence and alleges political motivations behind the case, particularly targeting Bragg, an elected Democrat in a district that has historically voted against the former president in 2016 and 2020. 

Meanwhile, prosecutor Colangelo emphasized the deliberate nature of Trump's actions, accusing him of attempting to intimidate both witnesses and trial participants. He noted, "Defendant knows what he is doing, and everyone else does, too."

Even though the expanded gag order prevents Trump from attacking the family members of Judge Merchan and DA Bragg, he can still speak out against them, as per the New York Post.

Internet reacts to Judge Juan Merchan expanding Donald Trump's gag order in hush money case

One said, "That’s ridiculous," and another insisted, "Judges should lose all immunities if they violate a civil right."

"Judge is trying to hide the democrat machine behind him, but it's too late now," remarked a person, while someone else wondered, "So who holds the judge accountable for conflict of interest?"

An individual asked, "Does it say anything about their families attacking Trump publicly? Or working for companies that are attacking Trump? Fair is fair," another asked.

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