Trump Seeking Reversal Of Gag Order

Former President Donald Trump is expected to launch an appeal against a gag order against New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing a New York case against him. The former president said last week that he was willing to go to jail over the gag order, comparing himself to former South African President Nelson Mandela.

Trump wrote on social media over the weekend that he was “willing to sacrifice my Freedom” in order to “Save our Country from these Political Operatives masquerading as Prosecutors and Judges.”

The former president called Merchan a “Partisan Hack” and said that if he wanted to “put me in the ‘clink’ for speaking the open and obvious TRUTH, I will gladly become a Modern Day Nelson Mandela – It will be my GREAT HONOR.”

Quote: "But for a trial judge to peddle partisan political rhetoric he knows to be untrue, in a case in which there have been calls for his recusal and the evidence of his political bias continues to mount, is just breathtaking." https://t.co/7gr1WIDU0Q

— Brit Hume (@brithume) April 4, 2024

Merchan is presiding over a court case regarding alleged payments Trump made to former adult film actress Stormy Daniels after a brief relationship. The judge placed a gag order on the former president barring him from commenting on prosecutors, jurors and members of the court staff.

The former president aims to challenge the judge in an appeals court. The former president’s team cited Merchan’s daughter’s donations to a series of left-wing causes and her work on the 2020 campaign of President Joe Biden.

Merchan’s daughter also worked as a consultant for Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), a key figure in the debunked accusations that the Trump 2016 campaign colluded with the Russian government.

The judge previously denied any possible conflict of interest, saying that there was no evidence to “suggest that the outcome of the case could have any effect on the judge’s relative, the relative’s business, or any of their interests.”

The appeal could have other effects, including delaying the current criminal case brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

The former president’s efforts came after his legal team called for Merchan to recuse himself from the case.

It appears unlikely that Merchan will recuse himself from the case, but the outcome of the appeal is unknown.