Trump Won’t Shut-Up, Which Might Be His “Devilish” Strategy

A former prosecutor explains why Trump may be pushing the judge to issue a "gag order."

Most people whoโ€™ve just been indicted and are facing a litany of other legal battles would keep a low profile. But Donald Trump isnโ€™t most people. After pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts, Trump flew to Mar-a-Lago to deliver a rant against the Manhattan District Attorney, Democrats, the judge in this case, and the judgeโ€™s family.

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Typically, attacking the judge presiding over your case is a no-go since who wants to piss off the person with your fate in their hands? But naturally, that didnโ€™t stop the former-President. โ€œI have a Trump-hating judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris,โ€ said Trump at his rally. Even before this rally, Trump attacked Bragg calling the first Black Manhattan DA, a reverse racist and claiming that โ€œdeath and destructionโ€ would follow if the grand jury indicted him.

Aside from the blatant misinformation, it begs the question, what is Trumpโ€™s end-game here? Thereโ€™s the obvious strategy of drumming up his base. But could there be a secondary motive at play?

Former San Francisco Prosecutor Paul Henderson has a theory. โ€œI believe that he did that to try to get a gag order. He wants to not talk about it,โ€ says Henderson.

For those who donโ€™t know, a โ€œgag orderโ€ is a legal order issued by a judge that makes it so a case can not be discussed publicly. And although we hate to give Trumpโ€™s ranting too much credit, in this instance, Hendersonโ€™s theory could hold some water.

The facts of this case donโ€™t look good for Trump, and he knows it, says Henderson. So the fewer people who are allowed to talk about the facts this close to the Republican primary, the better for Trump.

โ€œIโ€™m hoping that we continue with restrictions that allow the public to understand and know whatโ€™s happening,โ€ says Henderson, who served as a prosecutor under Kamala Harris. โ€œBecause we know Donald Trumpโ€™s allies will interpret that in a way thatโ€™s not tethered to the truth about whatโ€™s happening. And no one will be allowed to defend themselves if thereโ€™s a gag order.โ€

On Tuesday, Justice Juan M. Merchan came close to issuing a gag order, says Henderson, adding, โ€œThe judge is loathed to do it because the judge wants people to have transparency in the system,โ€ he says.ย (There are also some legal concerns about effectively muzzling a presidential candidate).

That doesnโ€™t mean the threats made by Trump against Bragg and others arenโ€™t serious, he says. โ€œI think the threats are real, and they bother me,โ€ says Henderson, โ€œin particular, because youโ€™re targeting not just the DA. Trump has specifically talked about the judge and his wife.โ€

Time will tell if the judge decides heโ€™s had enough of Trumpโ€™s incessant ranting, but sadly that might be precisely what Trump wants.

Straight From The Root

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