Former President Donald Trump may be put under a gag order after his arraignment that's excepted to come Tuesday, the Daily Wire reported. Trump has disparaged both the judge and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, which some feel could prompt such a move.
Duncan Levin, a criminal defense attorney who served as both a federal prosecutor and Manhattan DA staffer, called the prospect "extremely likely" given Trump's remarks on the case already. Following his indictment last week, Trump had strong words on his Truth Social platform about Judge Juan Merchan, whom he claims "hates him."
Trump claimed Merchan "strong armed" Allen Weisselberg, the former CFO of the Trump Organization who was implicated in a tax fraud case in front of the same judge. The former president also urged supporters to "take our nation back."
He further called Bragg an "animal" who was guilty of "prosecutorial misconduct." Trump said he was put into office by George Soros, the billionaire leftist who pulls political strings using his massive fortune.
Trump is expected to give a speech following his appearance in a Manhattan courtroom, but a gag order would prevent him from speaking about the details of the case. If he violated that order, Trump would be forced to pay up to $1,000 in fines and serve up to 30 days in prison -- or both.
However, Trump's campaign is looking to hire a First Amendment lawyer to "combat" such an order, sources close to the matter said. One such expert, Mike Davis, founder of the Article III Project, said gag orders "generally protect the Sixth Amendment right of *defendants* to fair trials," in a Tweet Sunday.
"Ordering any defendant not to speak about his charges would almost certainly violate the First Amendment," Davis continued. "Telling a presidential candidate he cannot respond to allegations--including media leaks--in a political prosecution is un-American."
House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) claimed silencing the former president would be "unconstitutional," Fox News reported. They also said it was proof of the "weaponization" of the courts by Democrats.
"To put any restrictions on the ability of President Trump to discuss his mistreatment at the hands of this politically motivated prosecutor would only further demonstrate the weaponization of the New York justice system," they said. "To even contemplate stifling the speech of the former commander in chief and current candidate for President is at odds with everything America stands for," the lawmakers added.
This looks terrible for the Democratic Party but even worse for the nation. Trump is attempting a third run for the presidency as a Republican, and he's being openly targeted and possibly silenced by a leftist Democrat.
The trumped-up charges stem from a $130,000 hush-money payment he made to former porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of his 2016 Republican primary victory. Trump also reportedly paid off Playboy model Karen McDougal to the tune of $150,000.
The former president allegedly had affairs with the women and used the money to keep that fact quiet in the form of non-disclosure agreements. However, the legality of these arrangements was already investigated and vetted, with no charges filed in the past.
Whether they know it or not, Democrats have opened Pandora's box of political trouble with this move. The party in power can now investigate and indict its opponents at will, and they don't realize that's now a two-way street.
However, even as satisfying as that sounds, this kind of tit-for-tat means an end to America as we know it. The Democrats and the New York judicial system are clearly corrupt, and the repercussions of such a fact playing out in public will be experienced for years to come.
