Topline
The presiding judge in former President Donald Trump’s hush money case altered the gag order against Trump, according to multiple outlets, enabling the former president to make public statements about the case’s witnesses and jurors ahead of his debate with President Joe Biden on Thursday.
Trump's debate with Biden will take place Thursday night. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Trump, who was convicted on 34 felony counts of falsification of business records in the case, will now have free range to make comments about witnesses like adult actress Stormy Daniels and his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,000 in 2016 to silence allegations she had an affair with Trump.
Trump is still barred from making comments about staff working for the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, as well as lawyers involved in the case, according to CNBC.
The gag order alteration marks a win for Trump’s lawyers, who have argued that court concerns about Trump’s potential comments are not justified since the trial concluded on May 31, also insisting the presidential debate is a reason the former president needs “the constitutional mandate for unrestrained campaign advocacy.”
Prosecutors, meanwhile, had pushed for the gag order to be kept in place through Trump’s July 11 sentencing and any post-trial motions that may materialize, arguing Judge Juan Merchan has “an obligation to protect the integrity of these proceedings and the fair administration of justice,” according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s attorney, Todd Blanche, did not immediately respond to Forbes’ request for comment.
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Chief Critic
“For the past 6 years, Donald and acolytes have been making constant negative statements about me,” Cohen told CNN. “Donald’s failed strategy of discrediting me so that he can avoid accountability didn’t work then and won’t work now.”
Big Number
10. That is the number of times Trump violated his gag order in the hush money trial, doing so by attacking Cohen, Daniels and Merchan’s daughter.
Key Background
Merchan expanded the gag order on Trump during the hush money trial to include public comments about family members of the court following the former president’s social media outbursts against Merchan’s daughter, Loren. Trump called Merchan’s daughter a “rabid Trump hater” and claimed the daughter’s work with a progressive political consulting firm impacted Merchan’s ability to be impartial. Trump’s historic conviction at the end of May did not include the removal of the gag order, as legal experts noted witnesses and jurors were still at risk of harassment as a result of the verdict. The former president faces up to a maximum of 136 years in prison, though it is unlikely he’ll serve prison time as a first-time offender.
Further Reading
Trump Held In Contempt For 10th Time—Judge Threatens Jail Time For More Violations (Forbes)
Trump Convicted Of All 34 Felonies In Hush Money Trial: Here’s What Happens Next (Forbes)
