Judge in Trump's Fraud Trial Expands Gag Order to Include Trump's Attorneys

 Judge in Trump's Fraud Trial Expands Gag Order to Include Trump's Attorneys

In the ongoing civil fraud trial involving Donald Trump, Judge Arthur Engoron has decided to widen the scope of the gag order, now encompassing Trump's legal representatives. This decision follows prolonged discussions regarding the judge's interactions with his law clerk during the court proceedings this week.

In a formal directive issued on Friday, Judge Arthur Engoron has expressly forbidden Trump's attorneys from making any further statements about confidential communications taking place between the judge and his support staff, whether within or outside the courtroom.

In the written order, Judge Engoron stated, "Since the commencement of this bench trial, my chambers have been inundated with hundreds of harassing and threatening phone calls, voicemails, emails, letters, and packages. The defendants and their attorneys' First Amendment rights to comment on my staff are undeniably outweighed by the necessity to safeguard them from threats and potential physical harm."

Judge Engoron made it clear that any violation of this order would result in "significant sanctions."

During the trial's initial week, Judge Engoron had already implemented a gag order, preventing all parties from discussing his staff publicly, in response to a social media post by Trump that targeted Engoron's clerk and featured a photograph of her with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat.

Notably, Trump has faced fines on two occasions for defying this order. The first fine, amounting to $5,000, was imposed because the controversial post had not been removed from his website, an action his legal team claimed was inadvertent. The second fine, totaling $10,000, was issued after Trump appeared to indirectly reference the clerk while speaking to reporters outside the courtroom.

Throughout the trial, Trump's legal team has frequently clashed with Judge Engoron over the clerk's alleged influence, accusing her of exhibiting bias by actions like "rolling her eyes" during testimony.

During a recent hearing, Trump's attorney, Chris Kise, pointed out what appeared to be a frequent exchange of information, implying "co-judging" with someone constantly providing updates to the judge. Kise mentioned, "Yesterday we counted 30, 40 times."

Judge Engoron, in response, maintained that he has every right to consult with his clerk, asserting that Trump's legal team has no entitlement to this information. He stated firmly, "She's a civil servant, she's doing what I ask her to do. Those notes are confidential communications from my law clerk," emphasizing this point with a resounding pound on the bench.