Live from Mar-a-Lago, former President Donald Trump was televised to one audience: the judge in his criminal case.
The TV star-turned-president appeared Tuesday afternoon before an extraordinary criminal court. The setup, in which the defendant appears via live video feed rather than in person, is unusually rare and is usually used for those hospitalized, according to court spokesperson Lucien Chalfen.
New York Judge Juan Merchan decided to hold Trump’s second hearing on criminal charges in this way to spare the city and court a repeat of the broken security process that accompanied his personal impeachment on April 4. He pleaded not guilty to 34 counts falsifying commercial records arising from Silence payments investigation For adult film star Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign.
Trump sat for the hearing Tuesday at his home in Mar-a-Lago with attorney Todd Blanche at his side. He was greeted by Judge Merchan, prosecutors and another Trump lawyer from New York, while dozens of reporters watched him in the courtroom.
During the proceedings, Mirshan set 25 March 2024 as the date for the trial to begin.
Trump sat at a table in front of two American flags with his hands tied in front of him, wearing a dark blue suit and tie with red, white and blue stripes. He said little as Merchan reviewed a protective order he had put in place — rules that prevent Trump from making public, or even possessing, much of the evidence that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg will provide to Trump’s attorneys.
The order means that Trump cannot speak publicly or post on social media any material that has not already been made public once it has been handed over by prosecutors to his team.
Trump, do you have a copy of this protective order? the judge asked.
“Yes, I do,” Trump replied, picking up the papers in front of him.
Merchan ordered that some of the information, which prosecutors are calling “limited publication materials,” would only be available to Trump in the presence of his attorneys, and he would not be allowed to copy, photocopy, or transcribe those documents.
Trump’s lawyers opposed the protective order, writing in a May 1 filing that it “would be an unprecedented and unusually broad gag for a major contender for the presidency of the United States.”
At the hearing, Blanche said, “He is deeply concerned that his First Amendment rights would be violated under this order. I have made it clear that this is not your honor’s intent.”
Merchan responded, “It is certainly not an isolated matter and it is certainly not my intention to impede Mr. Trump’s ability to campaign for the presidency of the United States.”
Merchan told Trump that if he disobeyed the order, he could be punished or fined.
The warning may carry extra weight for Trump, who has tested the limits in other instances. Last year, it was held in state civil court proceedings for repeated failure to comply with the court order. On May 10, just one day later found responsible On the sexual assault of writer E. Jean Carroll, and the defamation for saying she fabricated the allegation, Trump said on national television that it was a “made-up story”. On Monday, Carroll filed federal court papers Seeking more than $10 million In new damage from Trump.
Merchant’s order also prevents Trump and his team from disclosing the names of some Manhattan DA employees until the trial begins.
In an April 24 filing to seek the order, the attorney general cited Trump’s history of disparaging posts and statements on social media related to other investigations, including posts about former Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his investigation into alleged links between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and Russia; two impeachment investigations of Trump; and Fulton County, Georgia, investigating alleged efforts to undermine the 2020 presidential election.
Trump is seeking to have the case transferred to federal court. This request remains unresolved and the case is ongoing in New York state court while a federal judge hears the case.
Ash Kalmar contributed reporting
[ad_2]
