(Daily Wire) New York Supreme Court Judge Juan Merchan, who is poised to preside over the historic alleged hush-money prosecution of former President Donald Trump, warned Trump to refrain from posting on social media, as it could foment civil unrest.
Trump posted on his Truth Social account anyway.
“Alvin Bragg shut down New York City, brought in 38,000 NYPD officers, and will spend an estimated $200,000,000 of NYC funds, for a totally legal $130,000 NDA. On top of all that, the 9th Circuit Court just awarded me $122,000 — over the $500,000 already awarded, from Stormy ‘Horseface’ Daniels!” the former president wrote on social media.
The alert from Merchan reported by The Associated Press comes after Trump surrendered to authorities in New York City for an arraignment on Tuesday afternoon amid legal proceedings over 34 felony charges of falsifying business records, stemming from alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 election cycle.
Trump pleaded not guilty while face-to-face with Merchan, who told him to refrain from rhetoric about the historic moment of becoming the first former United States president to be charged with a crime, and the players involved in the process.
Axios reported that prosecutor Chris Conroy referenced one of the former president’s post where he warned of “death and destruction” over the case and a photo of Trump wielding a baseball bat alongside a photo of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Conroy claimed Trump’s posts cause “significant concern . . . relative safety of jurors and witnesses and on the process.”
Pending a final agreement, the outlet said “prosecutors asked for a protective order that prevents Trump from sharing discovery materials on social media or sharing them with third parties.” The two sides are coming to a final agreement on the language of the order.
Attorney Todd Blanche said the former president “was frustrated and upset and believed there was injustice,” his attorney Todd Blanche said, citing the former president’s bid for the White House in 2024 and has free speech rights.
In the 24 hours leading up to Trump turning himself into authorities, the former commander-in-chief posted several messages on his Truth Social account about the case.
“Heading to Lower Manhattan, the Courthouse,” Trump said on Tuesday. “Seems so SURREAL — WOW, they are going to ARREST ME. Can’t believe this is happening in America. MAGA!”
