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“Intimidating the judge”: Expert says Trump Truth Social post put a “target” on judge’s daughter

Trump could be slapped with "gag order" after latest outburst, says ex-US Attorney Joyce Vance

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Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to supporters after speaking at a Get Out The Vote rally at the North Charleston Convention Center on February 14, 2024 in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump gestures to supporters after speaking at a Get Out The Vote rally at the North Charleston Convention Center on February 14, 2024 in North Charleston, South Carolina. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday attacked the judge overseeing his Manhattan criminal hush-money case and his daughter.

“Judge Juan Merchan, a very distinguished looking man, is nevertheless a true and certified Trump Hater who suffers  from a very serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “In other words, he hates me! His daughter is a senior executive at a Super Liberal Democrat firm that works for Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, the Democrat National Committee, (Dem)Senate Majority PAC, and even Crooked Joe Biden.”

Trump’s post came a day after Merchan took his lawyers to task for claiming prosecutorial misconduct in the case and set his trial to begin on April 15.

“Trump puts a target not only Judge Merchan in the criminal case in Manhattan but on his daughter,” tweeted former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance. “This is a rank effort at intimidating the judge by threatening his family. It merits a gag order but also serious pushback from GOP leadership—which we know won't come.”

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg already asked Merchan to impose a partial gag order to prevent Trump from publicly discussing jurors, witnesses, or others involved in the case as well as court employees and their families. Trump was previously hit with a gag order in his New York fraud trial after targeting the judge's clerk in online attacks. 

By Igor Derysh

Igor Derysh is Salon's managing editor. His work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Herald and Baltimore Sun.

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