Trump announces appeal of 'unconstitutional gag order' after judge threatens jail time: 'sham'
Former President Trump attended court in Manhattan Thursday as part of the NY v. Trump trial, where he read legal experts' comments railing against the case.
Former President Trump announced Thursday morning that his defense team in the NY v. Trump case has filed a motion to appeal the "unconstitutional gag order" that was imposed on the 45th president, restricting what he can publicly say about the case.
"I just want to let you know that we've just filed a major motion in the appellate division concerning the absolutely unconstitutional gag order, where I'm essentially not allowed to talk to you about anything meaningful that's going on in the case. And many good things are going on with the case. It shouldn't have been filed," he said.
Trump is under a gag order that prevents him from making or directing others to make public statements about witnesses and their potential participation or remarks about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. The judge in the case has ruled Trump has violated the order 10 times, resulting in a total of $10,000 in fines, and threatened jail time if Trump continues to violate the order.
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Trump also read legal experts' commentary on the case to members of the media on Thursday, when legal scholars such as Alan Dershowitz and Jonathan Turley slammed the trial.
"'This is a Frankenstein case. They took a dead misdemeanor, they attached it to a dead, alleged federal felony and zapped it back into life. So many of us are just amazed to watch this actually walk into court because it's not a recognizable crime that any of us have seen," Trump said, quoting Fox News contributor Turley.
"'I've been doing this for 60 years, and I don't understand what crime he's been charged with. Nobody understands this. I just don't get the crime. There's no evidence of any crime whatsoever. This is a sham,'" Trump continued, quoting Dershowitz.
Trump is back in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, after former pornographic actress Stormy Daniels took the stand on Tuesday, when she went into detail about her alleged affair with the then-real estate tycoon in 2006.
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Daniels detailed to the court that she met Trump in 2006 at Lake Tahoe during a celebrity golf tournament. She alleged that the pair had sex in Trump's hotel room during the event, which Trump has repeatedly denied in public comments. Daniels' testimony also included describing to the court how she got into the pornography business after working as an exotic dancer as a teenager.
The case revolves around the alleged falsification of business records. Prosecutors say Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, paid Daniels $130,000 to quiet her claims of the alleged extramarital sexual encounter. Prosecutors allege the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses, and they are working to prove that Trump falsified records with the intent to commit or conceal a second crime, which is a felony.
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Legal experts on Tuesday sounded off on social media that Daniels’ testimony was irrelevant to the case and that it should not have been admitted into the record.
"I used to try cases for a living. I still have a pretty good sense of what evidence is relevant, what is prejudicial and what is completely over-the-top inadmissible. What the judge is letting in today in the Trump trial in NYC will be remembered as a dark stain on our judicial system, reminiscent of corrupt dictatorships. Shame on the prosecution for undermining our judicial system," David Friedman, a lawyer and former U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Trump administration, posted on X.
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Daniels' testimony Tuesday was followed by the Trump defense team moving for a mistrial that was ultimately denied by presiding Judge Juan Merchan.
"THE PROSECUTION, WHICH HAS NO CASE, HAS GONE TOO FAR. MISTRIAL!" Trump posted on Truth Social Tuesday.
TRUMP SAYS JAIL TIME TO DEFEND FREE SPEECH IS 'SACRIFICE' HE'S WILLING TO MAKE
"This Witch Hunt is FALSE ANCIENT HISTORY that was fully adjudicated by the Voters in the 2016 Presidential Election. It only has to do with Election Interference, and trying to help Crooked Joe Biden get elected because he can’t do it by himself. It is a vicious attack by the Soros backed D.A., Alvin Bragg, in strict coordination with the D.O.J. and the White House, on Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. IT IS ILLEGAL, UNCONSTITUTIONAL, AND STRICTLY THIRD WORLD COUNTRY!"
Daniels will again take the stand on Thursday to continue her testimony.