Former Watergate prosecutor weighs in on recent Trump gag order: ‘This is so unusual’

Former Watergate prosecutor Nick Ackerman said Wednesday that the recent gag order imposed on former President Trump in his hush money trial in New York is “highly unusual.”

“I think what viewers have to understand is that this is something very unusual,” Ackerman told CNN’s Fredrika Whitfield. interview. “In my more than 50 years of practicing law, both as a prosecutor and as a defense attorney, something like this has never happened.”

Ackerman stressed the unprecedented nature of Trump’s legal developments and that Trump’s attacks on Judge Juan Melchán could “harm” the former president.

Ackerman noted that not only was the gag order itself unusual, but what stood out to lawyers was Trump’s actions in court justifying Marchand’s actions.

“The reason it’s not done is that once you start disrespecting the judge and disrespecting people in court, you’re putting yourself at risk. Because it’s the judge who’s going to sentence you. It is the judge who can send the person to prison or give him probation,” Ackerman said.

Marchan on Tuesday imposed a gag order on Trump, barring the former president from speaking publicly about court officials, witnesses or others in the case. Mr. Trump can still publicly mock Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) and Mr. Marchand. This is the former president’s third gag order in less than six months and was issued weeks before his trial began on April 15th.

Mr. Ackerman said Mr. Trump is a unique example of someone testing the line between protecting First Amendment rights of the defense and ensuring the safety of the justice system.

“That’s why we don’t do that,” Ackerman said. “Donald Trump is the only person I’ve ever seen who would do this in such an outrageous way that the courts would say, ‘Where does the First Amendment stop? Where does the gag order stop? We really had to deal with the question of, “Is it necessary?” Are we going to protect the justice system? ”

President Trump on Wednesday condemned Marchand’s gag order, calling it “illegal, un-American and unconstitutional.”

“This judge is trying to unfairly deprive me of my First Amendment right to oppose the weaponization of law enforcement by issuing a vicious gag order,” Trump told Truth Social. I wrote this in a post. Biden, Merrick Garland, and their hack-n-thugs have followed me across the country and are relentless, even though everyone knows I’ve done nothing wrong. is trying to persecute! ”