Donald Trump Jr posts photo of hush money judge’s daughter as his father was warned to stop threats
Former president also attacked Judge Juan Merchan and his family during Mar-a-Lago speech
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Donald Trump Jr shared on social media a picture of the daughter of Judge Juan Merchan as he claimed that his father was being subjected to a “hand-picked Democrat show trial.”
The former president’s eldest child posted the picture, which was attached to a Breitbart story that claims that the daughter of Judge Merchan worked on the Biden-Harris presidential campaign, on Twitter and Truth Social on Tuesday.
“Seems relevant… yet another connection in this hand picked democrat show trial. The BS never ends folks,” Don Jr posted.
The former president himself then attacked the judge and his family during his Tuesday night speech to supporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate, also pointing out how his daughter worked for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“I have a Trump hating-judge with a Trump-hating wife and family whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign,” he said.
Mr Trump said that he “would never forget” what the judge and prosecutors “had done” to his company’s imprisoned former chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg.
“It’s right out of the old Soviet Union. That’s where we are,” he said.
TRUMP: "I have a Trump hating judge with a Trump hating wife & family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris — and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign. [...] It's right out of the old Soviet Union. That's where we are." pic.twitter.com/YdrIA0hjsw
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) April 5, 2023
Mr Trump’ made the inflammatory comments despite the judge earlier warning him to stop making remarks on social media that could lead to trouble or violence.
His words came despite the fact that Judge Merchan warned him to stop making threatening posts on social media that could inflame tensions or incite violence.
But the judge refused to slap a gag order on the case that would prevent Mr Trump from making public comments about it.
Don Jr’s posts came as prosecutors raised concerns during his 45-minute arraignment hearing that Mr Trump’s “threatening” social media posts could have an impact on jurors or witnesses.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s office accused Mr Trump’s social media posts of “threatening our city, our justice system, our courts and our office.”
Before the hearing, Mr Trump posted a fake image of him swinging a baseball bat at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s head. He has also previously called Mr Bragg an “animal” on his Truth Social platform.
But Judge Merchan said he would not issue a gag order that would prevent Mr Trump or his lawyers from speaking publicly about the case.
The former president has officially been arraigned on 34 counts of falsifying business records and conspiracy, making him the first former US president to be a defendant in a criminal case.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments