We won’t start w/a witness today as expected; instead there will be a hearing to decide whether #Trump violated the #GagOrder placed on him.

Prosecutors are arguing he has violated it 10 times.

The gag order imposed on #Trump bars him from him attacking any of the #witnesses, #prosecutors, #jurors or #court staff involved in the case.

After Trump relentlessly went after Merchan’s daughter, it was expanded to cover some of their relatives as well.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial

The #jury won’t be present for the arguments over the #GagOrder, so it will be interesting to watch how #Trump behaves w/ them out of the courtroom. Yesterday, in their presence, he largely sat silent and occasionally shook his head when he disagreed with the prosecutors. But this morning, when the jury is not here and he is confronted with his own words, I expect he will get more animated.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney

Prosecutors asked early last wk for #Trump to be held in #contempt. At that time, Judge #Merchan scheduled the hearing for today.
Merchan has only admonished TFG once so far—for muttering & gesturing in front of a prospective juror about her social media posts & responses during voir dire.

Worth noting: Trump went on #RightWing radio last night & bashed #jurors again in violation of the #GagOrder.
🤞🏻Merchan holds him in #criminal contempt today, enough #StochasticTerrorism TYVM.
#law #TrumpTrial

Judge #Merchan entered & almost immediately left w/ the lawyers in tow for in-chambers session.

Unclear as to why.

Trump’s radio call-in perhaps?

Sidebars, where the defense & prosecution meet quietly w/a judge at the bench, are a common occurrence in #criminal trials.

But a meeting in the judge's chamber, signals a need for additional privacy.

So #Trump is left alone at the defense table 🎻, w/ all the reporters — or as he calls them “enemies of the state” 🙄.

#law #TrumpTrial #GagOrder

The prosecutors have returned. #Trump’s lawyers as well.

Judge #Merchan is back on the bench & says that 2 matters are now in the record:

The two separate attempts that prosecutors have made to see Trump held in #contempt of court. (#GagOrder violated 10 times)

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney

Meanwhile…

#Security removed a member of the public from the overflow room. The man was verbally sparring w/officers for some time, first complaining he wasn't allowed access to the main court room. (access is first-come first-served). Then he tried insisting on being allowed to stand at the back of the courtroom.
"This is not fair," he kept saying. He was ultimately asked to leave.

#criminal #law #Trump #TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney

Prosecutor, Chris Conroy, details DA’s #GagOrder argument.
He says 10 #Trump posts violated the order.
8 were on TruthSocial.
2 were on his ofcl campaign website.

#Conroy argues these violations pose a very real#threat to proceedings, & have an "undertow" effect on #witnesses, making them afraid. He says witnesses, "rightly fear being subject to similar vitriol."

Conroy says Trump's attacks on #MichaelCohen in courtroom hallway yesterday again violated the order.

So 11 violations

#TrumpTrial

#Conroy notes that a 2nd order was needed after #Trump "ratcheted up attacks on family members."

Conroy goes through Trump's alleged #GagOrder violations, including one in which he thanked #StormyDaniels's disgraced lawyer, Michael #Avenatti, for criticizing #MichaelCohen. Conroy also describes how Trump called #Cohen & Daniels "sleazebags."

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #GagOrder #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney

#Conroy is now describing 5 more examples, all versions of essentially the same post, in which Trump shared a NewYorkPost article about #MichaelCohen & quoted its headline: "A serial perjurer will try to prove an old misdemeanor against #Trump in an embarrassment for the NewYork legal system."

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #GagOrder #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney

#Conroy says that #Trump “violates the order when he posts about known #witnesses or reasonably forseeable witnesses,” & “violates the order when he posts about a #juror or prospective juror.”

+ Throwing a "#MAGA" into a post doesn't make it #political, Conroy says, dismissing the idea that Trump's comments fall under the category of protected political speech. It may, in fact, make it more ominous, Conroy adds.

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #GagOrder #ElectionInterference

#Conroy is talking about #Trump seeking to use #politics as a defense, saying it "makes no sense," eviscerating the clear language & meaning of the #GagOrder. "There's no indication that his claim that he's responding to attacks is anything more than an after-the-fact justification," Conroy says.

"He knows about the order, he knows what he's not allowed to do, & he does it anyway," Conroy says, adding: "It's #willful."

#criminal #law #TrumpTrial #ElectionInterference #StochasticTerrorism

#Conroy says prosecutors will not seek #jail for now, even though #Trump seems to be “angling" for that
[#martyr complex, #megalomaniac]

New York state's #criminal #contempt #law permits a $1k fine & jail time of up to 30 days for each violation of the #GagOrder.

And Conroy is asking the judge to warn Trump that he could face custody.

[he’s been warned! Repeatedly!]

#TrumpTrial #CatchAndKill #conspiracy #ElectionInterference #HushMoney