One-time federal prosecutor Joyce Vance has declared that a gag order should be reimposed on Donald Trump in his New York business fraud trial. An appellate court is currently deliberating over whether Trump should be restricted on what he can say about the case going forward.
Threatening Behavior
The former president has frequently used his social media platform, Truth Social, to threaten people involved in the case, such as Judge Arthur Engoron and his clerk, Allison Greenfield. After falsely accusing the clerk of being Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) girlfriend, a gag order was imposed, but Trump’s team has since appealed it.
Abusive Messages
Last week, a member of the court staff submitted documented evidence of the “hundreds of threats, disparaging and harassing comments and antisemitic messages” he’d received from Trump supporters. Many people have raised concerns that Trump will be allowed to further incite hatred against court staff if his gag order is lifted.
Engoron’s Voicemails
Judge Engoron’s chief clerk has been a particular target of the MAGA crowd. Transcriptions of abusive voicemails she received took up more than 275 single-spaced pages. One message read: “You should be executed,” whereas another declared: “Trust me when I say this. I will come for you. I don’t care. Ain’t nobody gonna stop me either.”
Attacking Greenfield
Greenfield was also sent antisemitic slurs, accused of child abuse, and slated over hal appearance in the voicemails. Trump has made various threats about people involved in his other legal cases, such as Jack Smith, the DOJ Special Counsel who is the prosecutor in Trump’s two federal criminal cases.
The Business Fraud Trial
Trump, alongside his co-defendants, has been sued for $250 million by New York Attorney General Letitia James. She alleges that Trump overinflated his net worth and misrepresented the value of several of his propertito to deceive banks and receive better loans and reduced taxes.
The Summary Verdict
Engoron already made a summary verdict in September ruling that Trump, his sons Eric and Donald Jr, and his company the Trump Organization, committed fraud in their property valuations. He has yet to decide on several other charges and on the punishment they will receive.
Political Motivations
Trump has pleaded not guilty to all the charges and maintained that he is being politically persecuted. Trump is currently the frontrunner for the GOP primary nomination and looks set to go head-to-head with Joe Biden once again in next year’s presidential election.
Trump’s Legal Battles
The business fraud trial is Trump’s only legal concern. He is involved in six legal cases, including four of a criminal nature. The biggest is a federal case concerning the former president’s role in the January 6 riots and attempts to overturn the 2020 election results which is due to go to trial next March. Many states are also hearing legal arguments over whether Trump should be disqualified from the Republican primary ballot.
Joy Vance Speaks Out
On the situation, Vance told MSNBC: “I think the judges will decide to uphold the gag order. If Trump had shown the ability to restrain his behavior, perhaps they would consider whether the measure was necessary. But, as he continues to double down and inflict this kind of damage not just on individuals involved in the system but the system itself, I think it’s very likely we’ll see the gag order sustained.”
First Amendment Rights
She continued, “No one wants to do anything that comes close to restraining the First Amendment rights of a political candidate, but when you balance the merits at stake here, it seems clear that Trump has to be controlled, and these gag orders are the only way to do it.” When Trump’s gag order was recently paused, it led to an increase in attacks on court staff, both from him and his followers.
Temper Tantrums
People online were highly critical of Trump’s behavior and attitudes toward the court staff. One commenter wrote: “When you can’t win on the facts, can’t win on the law, just attack the process and have a temper tantrum like a two-year-old, orange-faced little moron.”
Misdirected Anger
Others noted how unwise it was for Trump to go after the person who would be ruling for or against him. One poster explained: “The judge isn’t his adversary, the prosecutor is. He can’t win that fight so he’s attacking the person that’s going to be the decision maker.”
Holding Trump Accountable
Someone else stated: “I can’t name a more pathetic person than Donald Trump. This won’t stop until he’s held accountable for the things he says or when he’s in jail. He will get someone killed (already has) and I’m sure betting that’s what he’s hoping for now. The fact this behavior is coming from an ex-president is embarrassing.”
Potential Consequences
Another contributor concurred, “I wonder how that stay-granting judge is going to feel when his actions get a colleague or colleagues’ staff killed,” with several other forum members expressing their concerns over Greenfield’s safety.
A Premature Decision
“I still don’t understand why the gag order is suspended before the appeal. Any other appeal in the justice system goes into effect after the appeals process. They wouldn’t let somebody who was found guilt of committing murder out of prison just because they appealed their verdict.”
“Irrelevant” Death Threats
People also reacted to the news that death threats sent to court staff were dismissed as “irrelevant” by Trump’s legal team. “So I wonder how irrelevant threats like these would be if they were directed at Trump’s attorneys,” one used said.
Double Standards
Many people expressed outrage at the behavior Trump and his supporters get away with. “Anyone else would have been in jail 100 times over,” one individual claimed. Someone else agreed: “Nobody else would get away with uttering death threats. How come Don the Con and his brainwashed cult members can?”
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