Trump gag order expanded
New York, April 2 (Hibya) - The judge presiding over former US President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York on Monday extended an existing gag order, preventing the former president from making inflammatory comments about family members of the judge who has become the target of Trump's personal attacks.
The new protective order still allows Trump to attack the judge and Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who last year accused Trump of falsifying records to cover up a sex scandal ahead of the 2016 election.
But New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan said in a revised order that Trump is now prohibited from openly attacking lawyers or court staff involved in the case, as well as family members of the judge and district attorney.
The order cited Trump's recent attacks on the judge's daughter and rejected Trump's claim that he should be free to criticize what he perceives as conflicts of interest and other complaints because they amount to "core political speech."
"The habit of attacking family members of lawyers and lawyers assigned to Trump's cases serves no legitimate purpose. It only injects fear into those assigned or called to participate in the cases that not only they, but their family members, are 'fair game,'" Merchan said.
Albania News Agency