Trump ally Rick Scott may have violated gag order with attack on judge's daughter
Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) flew to New York to join Donald Trump on the 14th day of the hush money trial Thursday — and took a break to attack a favorite target of the ex-president.
Trump faces more than 30 felony charges that accuse him of falsifying business records to cover up money he paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels to stay silent about an alleged affair.
Outside the courtroom during a morning break, Scott headed to speak to the press — and told them the judge's daughter "is a political operative. Raises money for Democrats."
A gag order prohibits attacks on potential witnesses, jurors and court staff — and was extended to cover the families of the prosecutors and judge after Trump went on several rants about Judge Juan Merchan's adult daughter.
It also states that it covers comments by Trump's allies if he directs them to speak.
"The reason that we bring up the gag order here is that, while these were not Donald Trump's specific words, under that gag order, it explicitly says that the defendant, Donald Trump, is [prohibited] from making or directing others to make public statements about these individuals," explained MSNBC's Vaughn Hillyard outside the courtroom
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He explained that there are no details about whether Trump explicitly told Scott "to exit the courtroom and make the public statements here. Yet, Rick Scott is essentially doing what Donald Trump is not able to do in his own words," he continued.
"It could be very much so a foreshadowing of how Trump the candidate seeks to navigate his way around the gag order, whether that's people who are flying up to New York or whether that's people within his own party who are going to use their respective platforms to say things that donald trump cannot say," said Civil rights lawyer Charles Coleman.
MSNBC host Ana Cabrera said Scott had flown on Trump's plane with him to New York.
"Who is to say Trump didn't ask Sen. Scott to go after the judge's daughter?" she asked.
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