March 26 (UPI) — New York Judge Juan Merchan placed a partial gag order on Donald Trump on Tuesday, barring him from making public statements about attorneys, witnesses and potential jurors in the hush-money case.
The former president is prohibited from making statements or directing others to make statements about those protected by the gag order. Merchan wrote that Trump has made threatening, inflammatory and denigrating statements about local and federal officials, court staff and others assigned to the case.
“The consequences of those statements included not only fear on the part of the individual targeted, but also the assignment of increased security resources to investigate threats and protect the individuals and family members thereof,” Merchan wrote.
Merchan said Trump’s comments are a “sufficient risk to the administration of justice,” requiring such a remedy.
Trump went on a multi-post tirade against Merchan, District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday and Tuesday after Merchan announced the trial will start on April 15.
In one post, Trump mentioned Merchan’s daughter, calling her a “Super Liberal Democrat” and Merchan a “certified Trump Hater who suffers from a very serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
Notably, Trump is not barred from making statements about Bragg, who indicted him on 34 counts related to payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Bragg increased security at his office last year ahead of the indictment.
Trump, who is running for re-election, targeted the district attorney in a number of public statements, including posting an edited photo of himself holding a baseball bat next to Bragg.
