On Wednesday, amidst the anticipation of a crucial gag order decision in his hush money case, former President Trump stirred controversy by calling for the removal of several judges. At the forefront of his ire was Judge Juan Merchan, tasked with presiding over the New York hush money case—a pivotal moment as it marked Trump’s initial indictment. The case revolves around 34 felony charges accusing Trump of manipulating business records to facilitate reimbursements to his former fixer, Michael Cohen, who had paid off adult film actress Stormy Daniels to maintain silence about an alleged affair with Trump during the 2016 elections.
Expressing his frustration on Truth Social, Trump lambasted Judge Merchan, alleging bias towards the Democratic Party and advocating for his immediate removal, insisting that appellate courts intervene. He didn’t reserve his criticism solely for Merchan; Trump also targeted Judge Arthur Engoron, overseeing a civil fraud case against him, and Judge Lewis Kaplan, who presided over a defamation trial resulting in a substantial fine.
Trump vehemently contested the judgments against him, asserting Engoron’s lack of understanding regarding valuation and finance and Kaplan’s ruling based on scant acquaintance with the accuser. He decried what he perceived as a broken justice system in New York, claiming that only the appellate courts could rectify the situation, lamenting the perceived bias against Republicans.
Meanwhile, prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office accused Trump of violating Merchan’s gag order on ten occasions, which prohibits attacks on prosecutors, court personnel, witnesses, and the judge’s family. Trump’s lawyer, Todd Blanche, defended his client’s actions, framing them as responses to political attacks. Merchan, reserving judgment on the alleged violations, admonished Blanche for Trump’s repeated breaches, suggesting that his credibility was waning, especially after Blanche’s assertion that Trump was exercising caution to adhere to the gag order.