Former President Donald Trump raged against New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan before heading into court on Friday.
While speaking to reporters before entering for the fourth day of his Manhattan criminal trial, Trump said that the gag order placed against him needs to be removed and criticized Merchan, who is overseeing the case.
"The conflict has to end with the judge. The judge has a conflict, the worst I've ever seen, and it has to end with the judge," Trump said. "The judge has to take off this gag order, it's very, very unfair that my Constitutional rights have been taken away."
The context:
On Friday, Trump arrived for the fourth day of his criminal trial following an indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over alleged hush money payments made to ex-adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016.
Last April, Bragg issued an indictment saying that the former president "fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal crimes that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."
Trump has continued to deny any wrongdoing in the case, saying that it and other legal matters he faces are politically motivated. He was previously placed under a gag order by Merchan, after criticizing the judge's daughter.
What we know:
Trump's legal team previously filed a motion to have Merchan recused from the case. The motion cited the judge's daughter, who works extensively with high-level Democratic politicians, claiming that he cannot continue to oversee the case due to her allegedly benefitting professionally from Trump's legal battles.
On Thursday, 12 jurors were officially sworn in on the case, after disputes about others from both the prosecution and defense.
Five additional seats are yet to be filled for alternate jurors.
Newsweek reached out to the New York State Supreme Court system via email for comment.
Views:
During the trial on Thursday, legal experts said that Trump made an "unwise" move when he did not stand when potential jurors were brought into the court room.
"In my over 20 years practicing criminal law, I have never observed a defendant refuse to stand and face the jury. Any competent lawyer would tell their client that his fate is in the jury's hands and they will watch everything he does," legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Trump's disrespect for the jury is unwise."
What's next:
Newsweek's Katherine Fung, who has been inside the courtroom this week, reported on Thursday that Merchan seemed confident the remaining alternate jurors would be chosen on Friday.
Merchan previously set a trial date of April 23 for the court to hear arguments for a potential gag order violation by Trump. The prosecution introduced a motion to sanction Trump for social media posts that they argue violate the order. The prosecution requested Trump be fined $1,000 for each of three potential violations.
Update, 4/19/24, 9:52 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
Update, 4/19/24, 10:28 a.m. EST: This story has been updated with further information.
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Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
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