Donald Trump launched yet another attack against the daughter of New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who is overseeing the trial regarding the former president’s alleged hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump shared a link to a New York Post article about the judge’s daughter, who has consulted to Democratic campaigns, and wrote, “This is a disgrace to our Legal System. Judge Merchan should be immediately sanctioned and recused, and this fake ‘case,’ only kept alive by the Highly Conflicted Judge, should be completely dismissed right away.” The post included photos of Merchan’s daughter. Rolling Stone has withheld her name as she is not involved in the case.
Trump has attacked the judge’s daughter at least three other times in the last week. The judge issued a gag order on Tuesday — hours after Trump attacked his daughter — barring the former president from discussing witnesses and others involved in the case. On Thursday, District Attorney Alan Bragg requested Judge Merchan clarify whether the gag order applies to Trump’s attacks against the his daughter, and if not, he asked the judge to expand the order to include her and others.
Judge Merchan “should make abundantly clear that the [gag order] protects family members of the Court, the District Attorney, and all other individuals mentioned in the Order,” Bragg wrote in a letter that was filed Thursday and unsealed on Friday, according to The Washington Post.
Bragg additionally asked the judge to “warn [Trump] that his recent conduct is contumacious and direct him to immediately desist” and to implement sanctions against Trump if he does not comply. Trump faced fines last year when he violated a gag order multiple times during his civil fraud trial.
“Maybe the judge is such a hater because his daughter makes money by working to ‘Get Trump,’ and when he rules against me over and over again, he is making her company, and her, richer and richer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social earlier this week.
Trump’s hush money trial, the only one scheduled to take place before the election, is set to begin on April 15.
In a recent Truth Social post, Donald Trump escalated his ongoing feud with Judge Juan Merchan by targeting the judge’s daughter once again. The daughter, who has consulted for Democratic campaigns, found herself at the center of controversy.
Trump’s words were sharp:
“This is a disgrace to our Legal System. Judge Merchan should be immediately sanctioned and recused, and this fake ‘case,’ only kept alive by the Highly Conflicted Judge, should be completely dismissed right away.” The post even included photos of Merchan’s daughter. However, Rolling Stone has chosen to withhold her name, as she is not directly involved in the case.
This isn’t the first time Trump has attacked the judge’s daughter. In fact, he has done so at least three other times in the past week. The situation remains tense, with legal and ethical implications intertwining in a complex web of public scrutiny and political maneuvering.
The judge, in response, issued a gag order barring Trump from discussing witnesses and others involved in the case. District Attorney Alan Bragg has requested further clarification on whether this order applies to Trump’s attacks against the judge’s daughter. Bragg also urged the judge to expand the order to include her and others. He emphasized that the gag order should protect not only the court but also family members and individuals mentioned in the order.
Trump’s hush money trial, the only one scheduled to take place before the election, is set to begin on April 15. The stakes are high, and the drama continues to unfold as the legal battle intensifies.
