Allies close to former President Donald Trump are outraged by the gag order imposed on him and his campaign by New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Marchan, which puts Trump’s campaign in an unprecedented position. He told the Daily Caller that he was having trouble.
On Tuesday, the third week of Trump’s Manhattan trial began, Marchan held the 2024 Republican presidential candidate in contempt of court and fined him $9,000 for repeatedly violating a gag order. Marchan also threatened that if President Trump continues to violate his orders, he will impose prison terms.
President Trump and his campaign are prohibited from talking about the lead prosecutor in the case, Matthew Colangelo, who worked for two years as an acting deputy attorney general in the Biden administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ). Mr. Colangelo joined the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office as a senior prosecutor in December 2022 after working near the top of the Justice Department under Attorney General Merrick Garland.
Colangelo came from the Justice Department to work for the Manhattan prosecutor’s office at a time when District Attorney Alvin Bragg was investigating Trump over a $130,000 payment to porn star Stormy Daniels. There are some doubts about this. (Related: Meet the former Biden Justice Department official who jumped ship to prosecute Trump)
Mr. Bragg, who ran for office after convicting Mr. Trump as Manhattan district attorney, indicted him on 34 counts of falsifying business records, all of which the former president pleaded not guilty to.
Trump and his campaign are also prohibited from talking about his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, or the jury.Cohen, the key witness in this case, arrived. under fire For discussing the incident on TikTok while raising funds for himself.
These restrictions apply to the entire campaign and tie the hands of Trump’s political operations as he fights back on key issues in the presidential election, a person familiar with the situation told the Caller.
“The gag order applies to the president himself, and prohibits him from directing or ordering others to do it. So legally, it basically applies to his It applies to everyone who works under him. And since he is basically considered the campaign chairman or the head of the campaign, the campaign applies to all campaign staff. ”
The official also said he knew Democrats were monitoring Trump’s every move, including his social media posts and campaign website, adding that the gag order was “probably an attempt to interfere with the campaign.” “That’s the most obvious example, and what it’s actually telling the campaign.” And I can’t say it. ”
“Democrats are watching very closely what they say on TRUTH social, whatever they post on their campaign websites, and it gets filtered right away by Alvin Bragg. He has a very easy communication channel. “And it’s pretty firmly established between Democrats and Democrats in his office,” the source said.
The restrictions are unlike any imposed on any previous presidential campaign in U.S. history and put President Trump at a disadvantage, Mike Davis, founder and president of the Article III Project, told the Daily Caller.
“This unconstitutional and un-American gag order is another weapon used by Biden and his minions to silence their biggest political rival, President Trump. “You can make money by bashing him, but because of this illegal gag order, Mr. Trump can’t comply,” Davis said. “As a result, all of President Trump’s opponents can get rough with him without worrying about what he will say to refute their claims. This gag order This sets a dangerous precedent for the future.”
Sources echoed similar sentiments, saying the order would “significantly inhibit” the camp’s ability to fight back.
“The campaign cannot protect him from such attacks. Sure, the campaign can talk about this incident, but they cannot respond to direct attacks on him, which is completely outrageous,” they said. “So this not only violates the President’s First Amendment rights, but it is a direct attack on his campaign and ability to fight this case in the midst of an election.”
The source added that the gag order should embolden Trump’s supporters and allies outside the campaign to stand up because Trump and his campaign cannot legally do so.
Former US President Donald Trump enters the courtroom after a break in his criminal trial at the New York State Supreme Court on May 2, 2024.Doug Mills/Pool via Reuters
Republican strategist Garrett Bentley said Democrats can’t beat Trump in the polls, so they are instead sabotaging the election. He also noted that Mr. Marchand donated to Mr. Biden and that Mr. Bragg campaigned to put Mr. Trump in prison.
“Judge Marchand’s gag order against President Trump is grossly unconstitutional and the height of election interference. The campaign they are running against President Trump was all legal. They beat him in the polls. “You can’t do that,” Bentley said. “Joe Biden’s numbers are dwindling, and Joe Biden’s former No. 3 in the Justice Department is one of the prosecutors in this case in the Manhattan prosecutor’s office, and we even see collusion.”
“Think about this too: Alvin Bragg was running a whole campaign to put Donald Trump in jail even before these accusations happened. So you have unfair prosecutors and Joe “You have a Democratic judge who donated to Biden, and you have a mostly Democratic jury that goes after President Trump. People who hate him,” he continued. “He cannot expect a fair trial right now, he is not even allowed to have one right now, and his camp is not even allowed to fight back or contest the Democratic Party’s legal and fair trial. I haven’t.” (Related: Prosecutor paints Trump-Manhattan incident as ‘election conspiracy’ in opening statement)
A person familiar with the situation explained that a key part of the gag order is the “likelihood of participation” of witnesses, as it is unclear to the camp whether or not certain witnesses will be called.
Another source told the Caller that it was “fairly certain” that Cohen would be called as a witness and that “he is the only ‘eyewitness’ to this entire case.” Without him, they can’t sue. ” (Related: President Trump details endless legal battle in prime-time Mar-a-Lago address after indictment)
Former US President Donald Trump sits inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse on May 2, 2024 in New York City, US.Mark Peterson/Pool via Reuters
“Judge Marchand’s unconstitutional gag order is a gross violation of President Trump’s First Amendment rights and a direct attack on our campaign in the midst of an election. Joe Biden and his corrupt Unfortunately for the Democratic cronies, their unprecedented weaponization of government is backfiring, as the American people realize the truth of this sham trial, and ultimately President Trump “We will win,” Trump campaign national spokeswoman Caroline Leavitt said. , informed the caller about the gag order. (Related: Jordan to investigate ties between Biden Justice Department and lead prosecutor Alvin Bragg)
Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. president Donald Trump faces trial on charges that he falsified business records to hide money he paid to hush porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. , gesturing as they arrive at Trump Tower. April in New York City, USA. 19th, 2024.Reuters/Eduardo Muñoz
Bentley also said Congressional Republicans “need to step up” to defend Trump and hold “corrupt judges and prosecutors” accountable for “blatant election interference and unconstitutional gag orders.” Stated.
Rep. Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding Colangelo on Tuesday, requesting documents and communications from Colangelo’s tenure at the Biden Justice Department.
The caller obtained a copy of the letter before it was sent. Jordan has obtained numerous personnel files related to Mr. Colangelo’s employment, hiring, and firing at the Justice Department, numerous documents and communications from January 2021 to December 2022, and documents and communications related to Trump or his organization. requested.
