Donald Trump Rages Out Against ‘Sleazebags and Lowlifes’ in Potential New Gag Order Violation

Once more, Donald Trump pushed the limits of his gag order by mobilizing Republicans to oppose the testimony of the 'sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters' he previously hung out with. A day after adult film star Stormy Daniels detailed to the jury their 2006 alleged sexual encounter at the center of the hush money case, the former President attacked witnesses in his New York criminal trial and urged his Republican allies to defend him against the accusations. However, doing so could count as a violation of the gag order that forbids him from making comments about trial participants, Raw Story reported.

“It is a really bad feeling to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a big part of life in our Country, so unfairly taken from you, especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“It is hard to sit back and listen to lies and false statements be made against you knowing that if you respond, even in the most modest fashion, you are told by a Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge that you will be PUT IN PRISON, maybe for a long period of time,” he added, referring to the Judge's warning to Trump to stop trying to skirt his gag order. The judge did warn him about being incarcerated but explicitly mentioned that it would be for less than 30 days.

In the Truth Social post, Trump attacked Merchan and his threat of jail, and he made the unfounded claim that the judge's caution was motivated by a 'fascist mindset' that allegedly permeates D.C. politics. In addition, Trump attacked the judges presiding over his defamation lawsuit against E. Jean Carroll and his civil fraud case in New York, per HuffPost.

“This Fascist mindset is all coming from D.C. It is a sophisticated hit job on Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME! Judges Engoron and Kaplan, also of New York, are equally Corrupt, only in different ways. What these THUGS are doing is AN ATTACK ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION ITSELF.” 

Trump was seemingly berating Merchan for imposing a gag order, which he broke for the 10th time earlier this week. Judge Juan Merchan has fined Trump a total of $10,000 for infarctions he's made since the trial began. While Trump is encouraging his allies to criticize court employees and witnesses, Merchan's order expressly forbids Trump from "directing others to make public statements about known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses concerning their potential participation in the investigation or in this criminal proceeding," so if Trump's allies accept his invitation to attack Daniels or other witnesses, he could end up in jail.

Instead of refraining from unnecessarily criticizing anyone connected to the pending lawsuit, Trump said he would go to jail if 'necessary' while speaking to reporters on May 6. “This judge has given me a gag order and said you’ll go to jail if you violate it,” he said. “And frankly, you know what, our Constitution is much more important than jail. It’s not even close. I’ll do that sacrifice any day.”