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Appeals Court Upholds Limited Gag Order

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

On Tuesday, a New York Appeals court upheld Judge Juan Merchan’s limited gag order in the ongoing hush money trial against former President Donald Trump.

The gag order which was imposed in March prohibits Trump from from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and the judge’s family. The gag order does not prevent Trump from attacking the judge or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D). 

 The judge in the case has ruled Trump has violated the order 10 times, resulting in a total of $10,000 in fines, and threatened jail time if Trump continues to violate the order. 

“Justice Merchan properly determined that petitioner’s public statements posed a significant threat to the integrity of the testimony of witnesses and potential witnesses in this case as well,” the decision from the five-judge panel reads. 

The Hill reports that in the decision, the panel compares Merchan’s gag order to a gag imposed on Trump in his federal election interference case. The New York judges aligned with the District of Columbia U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision to allow Trump’s gag there to stand. (RELATED: Trump Legal Team Moves To Appeal ‘Unconstitutional’ Gag Order)

“Weighing these concerns, the circuit court ultimately concluded that, given the record, the court had ‘a duty to act proactively to prevent the creation of an atmosphere of fear or intimidation aimed at preventing trial participants and staff from performing their functions within the trial process,’” the five-judge panel wrote. “This Court adopts the reasoning in the circuit court’s Federal Restraining Order Decision.”

Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Potential VP Pick To Join Trump In NYC Court

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Could this be a sign of who Trump plans to pick as his running mate?

On Tuesday, conservative tech mogul Vivek Ramaswamy will join Donald Trump at the Manhattan courthouse as part of the ongoing hush money trial.

He will spend the entire day with Trump as the former president’s criminal trial continues, a spokesperson for Ramaswamy confirmed to Fox News Digital.

“The best proof that the Trump trial is a sham: if DJT had done the exact *opposite* of the alleged crime, they’d still be prosecuting him & have an even stronger case,” Ramaswamy said in a statement. 

“Every one of these prosecutions… is backfiring,” Ramaswamy said during an April appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity.” “These people are sick and tired of being lied to. They’re sick and tired of the lawfare.”

“I’ve talked to many Democrats who disagree with Donald Trump on many policies but believe we’re not a country where you’re supposed to use prosecutorial power to eliminate your opponents,” he added.

Other allies of the former president have attended court proceedings in a show of support, including U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Al.)

Vance is widely considered to be a contender for Trump’s potential running mate. Tuesday would be the second straight day when a potential vice presidential nominee contender shows up in support of Trump.

“The thing that the president is prevented from saying, which is a disgrace, is that every single person involved in this prosecution is practically a Democratic political operative,” Vance said outside the courthouse Monday during a morning break.

Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

Trump Leading 5 of 6 Swing States: Report

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The Biden campaign is scrambling to play catch up…

New surveys conducted by The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College show former President Donald Trump leading President Joe Biden in five of six swing states.

The Daily Wire has more:

In a two-man race between Trump and Biden, Trump leads 51-38% among likely voters; by a whopping 13 points 51-38% in Nevada; six points 49-43% in Arizona; nine points 50-41% in Georgia; three points in Pennsylvania 48-45%; and one point in Wisconsin 47-46%; while Biden clings to a one-point margin in Michigan.

When third-party candidates such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. were included, Trump’s lead soared to nine points in Arizona, to 14 in Nevada, and stayed almost the same at eight points in Georgia.

“As three-quarters of likely voters in these six battleground states say the economy is no better than only fair or poor, large majorities in each state trust Donald Trump to do a better job on the country’s financial well-being than Joe Biden,” Siena College stated.

“The polls suggest that Mr. Trump’s strength among young and nonwhite voters has at least temporarily upended the electoral map, with Mr. Trump surging to a significant lead in Arizona, Georgia and Nevada — relatively diverse Sun Belt states where Black and Hispanic voters propelled Mr. Biden to signature victories in the 2020 election,” The New York Times stated, adding, “Seventy percent of voters believe that Mr. Trump will either bring major changes to the political or economic system or tear down the systems altogether, compared with 24 percent who expect the same from Mr. Biden. … 43 percent of voters believe that he (Trump) will bring good changes to the country, compared with 35 percent who think the changes will be bad.”

Report: Barron Trump Responds To GOP Delegate Invite

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Image via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Former President Donald Trump’s youngest son Barron has reportedly decided not to serve as a delegate for Florida at this summer’s Republican National Convention (RNC).

“While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party, he regretfully declines to participate due to prior commitments,” former first lady Melania Trump’s office said in a statement.

The Florida GOP earlier this week said Barron Trump, who is 18, would join three of the former president’s other children — Eric, Tiffany and Donald Trump Jr. — as delegates, with Eric Trump serving as the state’s delegation chair.

Trump said in a radio interview Friday that his youngest son has gotten into politics.

“He does like politics. It’s sort of funny. He’ll tell me sometimes, ‘Dad, this is what you have to do.’ So anyway, he’s a good guy. He’s a senior now in high school, and he’ll be going to college,” the former president said on Philadelphia’s Talk Radio 1210 WPHT.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Judge Imposes Rules Ahead Of Michael Cohen Testimony

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IowaPolitics.com, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Judge Juan Merchan on Friday directed Manhattan prosecutors to inform Michael Cohen to stop speaking publicly about the case as his testimony approaches.

Cohen is expected to testify Monday and has been billed as a key witness for the district attorney’s office. He made the $130,000 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an affair with Trump, which he denies. 

The Hill reports:

Trump’s lawyers have repeatedly criticized Cohen’s public attacks on Trump, given that the former president’s ability to respond is limited under the terms of his gag order.


Todd Blanche, Trump’s attorney, asked that Cohen be prohibited from talking “in the same way President Trump is” restricted.

“I will direct the People to communicate to Mr. Cohen that the judge is asking him to refrain from any more statements about this case,” Merchan said from the bench.


He told prosecutors moments later, “that comes from the bench, and you are communicating that on behalf of the bench.”

The former president’s ex-fixer previously said he would refrain from attacks on Trump, but defense attorneys said Friday that he posted a TikTok on Wednesday night wearing a tee-shirt that showed Trump in an orange jumpsuit and behind bars.

New York Launches Probe Into Trump Judge

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

The New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct has launched an investigation into a New York attorney’s claim that he advised Judge Arthur Engoron in the case against former President Donald Trump.

Attorney Adam Leitman Bailey told WNBC-TV that he had a courthouse conversation with Engoron three weeks before the judge would slap Trump with a $454 million penalty for fraudulently inflating the value of his assets.

New York judges are barred from considering outside opinions in such a way when litigating a case, yet Bailey said he discussed the legal questions at length with the judge.

Judge Engoron’s ruling ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million, Donald Jr. and Eric to each pay $4 million, and ex-Trump Org chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg to pay $1 million. The order also barred Trump from serving as a corporate officer or a director of a company in New York for three years, and barred his sons for two years. The Trumps did avoid the so-called “corporate death penalty;”

“I actually had the ability to speak to him three weeks ago,” Bailey said in an interview with the station on Feb. 16, just hours before the judge issued his ruling.

“I saw him in the corner [at the courthouse], and I told my client, ‘I need to go,’” he recounted.

“And I walked over, and we started talking … I wanted him to know what I think and why … I really want him to get it right,” the attorney continued.

He said he “explained to” Engoron that ruling against Trump would have far-reaching implications beyond destroying the former president, including damaging New York’s economy.

If Trump were forced to pay a hefty fine and shut down his business, it would make other companies concerned about similarly being targeted at any time, even when there were no actual damages or victims, as in this case.

Trump’s legal team raised the same points, which Engoron ignored in his verdict.

In a later interview with WNBC, Bailey walked back his claims slightly, saying they “didn’t even mention the word ‘Donald Trump’” during their conversation.

However, the attorney admitted that it was understood exactly what they were discussing.

“Well, obviously, we weren’t talking about the Mets,” Bailey said.

According to the New York State Rules of Judicial Conduct, “a judge shall not initiate, permit, or consider ex parte communications, or consider other communications made to the judge outside the presence of the parties or their lawyers.”

Al Baker, a spokesman for the state’s Office of Court Administration, denied that the judge had broken those rules.

“The decision Justice Engoron issued February 16 was his alone, was deeply considered, and was wholly uninfluenced by this individual,” Baker said in a statement, according to WNBC.

Judge Responds To Trump Gag Order Request

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Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

On Thursday, Judge Juan Merchan rejected the former president’s request to narrow his gag order.

The Hill reports:

On Thursday afternoon, hours after Daniels was excused, Trump attorney Todd Blanche argued that the witness had changed her version of events, referencing the defense’s lines of attack during cross examination.

“He needs an opportunity to respond to the American people, and the reason for the gag order are over. She is no longer a witness,” Blanche said.

Merchan denied the motion from the bench, maintaining the restrictions that prevent Trump from criticizing the adult film star, one of prosecutors’ highest-profile witnesses.

“That’s just not the track record,” Merchan said. “The reason why the gag order is in place to begin with is precisely because of the nature of these attacks – the vitriol.”


The gag order bars Trump from hurling insults at witnesses, jurors, prosecutors, court staff or the judge’s family. It doesn’t bar Trump from attacking the judge himself or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

Trump Media Investor Convicted Of Insider Trading

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Arrest image via Pixabay

On Thursday, a Manhattan grand jury found financier Bruce Garelick guilty of insider trading charges in a scheme that involved the merger of former President Donald J. Trump’s social media company with a publicly traded shell company.

Federal prosecutors had charged Garelick with five counts of securities fraud and conspiracy. 

Authorities claimed Garelick shared confidential information with his boss and at least one other person that Trump Media & Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, was close to announcing a merger with Digital World Acquisition Group, the shell company.

Mr. Garelick, 54, a former hedge fund manager, had been a board member of Digital World. 

The New York Times has more:

The information helped two brothers — Michael Shvartsman and Gerald Shvartsman — make nearly $23 million in illegal trading profits by buying Digital World securities in advance of the announcement, which sent the stock soaring. Mr. Garelick, who worked for Michael Shvartsman at a small Miami-based venture capital firm called Rocket One, made about $50,000 by trading off what authorities said was nonpublic information.

Last month, the Shvartsman brothers decided to forgo a trial and pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges. In their plea agreements, prosecutors have recommended a sentence of roughly four to five years for Michael Shvartsman; and three to four years for his younger brother.

Digital World raised about $300 million from investors in its initial public offering in September 2021. A little over a month later, the SPAC announced a deal to merge with Trump Media. After a long delay, the merger was completed in March and Trump Media became a publicly traded company. Mr. Trump’s nearly 70 percent stake in the firm is worth about $6 billion.

In a closing argument, Daniel Nessim, a federal prosecutor, described Mr. Garelick as a “sophisticated professional” who “cheated” and used inside information to benefit himself and his boss, Michael Shvartsman.

Garelick could face at least 25 years in prison.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Trump Announces Plan To Appeal ‘Unconstitutional’ Gag Order

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

Donald Trump is fighting back.

On Thursday, the presumptive Republican nominee announced that his legal team in the ongoing hush money trial has filed a motion to appeal Judge Juan Merchan’s “unconstitutional” gag order.

“I just want to let you know that we’ve just filed a major motion in the appellate division concerning the absolutely unconstitutional gag order, where I’m essentially not allowed to talk to you about anything meaningful that’s going on in the case. And many good things are going on with the case. It shouldn’t have been filed,” he said. 

The gag order which was imposed in March prohibits Trump from from attacking witnesses, prosecutors, court staff, and the judge’s family. The gag order does not prevent Trump from attacking the judge or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D). 

 The judge in the case has ruled Trump has violated the order 10 times, resulting in a total of $10,000 in fines, and threatened jail time if Trump continues to violate the order. 

Trump also read legal experts’ commentary on the case to members of the media on Thursday, when legal scholars such as Alan Dershowitz and Jonathan Turley slammed the trial. 

“‘This is a Frankenstein case. They took a dead misdemeanor, they attached it to a dead, alleged federal felony and zapped it back into life. So many of us are just amazed to watch this actually walk into court because it’s not a recognizable crime that any of us have seen,” Trump said, quoting Fox News contributor Turley. 

“‘I’ve been doing this for 60 years, and I don’t understand what crime he’s been charged with. Nobody understands this. I just don’t get the crime. There’s no evidence of any crime whatsoever. This is a sham,'” Trump continued, quoting Dershowitz. 

Trump is being charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records to make alleged hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

On Tuesday, Trump’s team filed for a mistrial after Daniel’s shocking testimony. The move was denied.

Conservative Group FreedomWorks Shuts Down, Cites Trump Effect

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, conservative group FreedomWorks announced it is shutting down, blaming Donald Trump for his “splintering effect” on the Republican Party.

“We’re dissolved,” said the group’s president, Adam Brandon. “It’s effective immediately.”

FreedomWorks’ board of directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to dissolve the organization, Brandon said. Wednesday was be the last workday for the group’s roughly 25 employees, though staffers will continue to receive paychecks and health care benefits for the next few months.

He said the decision to dissolve the company was driven by the ideological changes driven by Trump’s time in office.

“A lot of our base aged, and so the new activists that have come in [with] Trump, they tend to be much more populist,” Brandon said. “So, you look at the base and that just kind of shifted.”

He said FreedomWorks staff became divided into MAGA Trump supporters and “Never Trump” Republicans. Brandon said the organization saw “an erosion of conservative donors” because they specifically wanted the group to work for Trump, when the organization would only support Trump if it was on topics they agree with.

Brandon called it “an impossible situation” to navigate as some donors would say he wasn’t doing enough to support Trump and others would say he was doing too much. Brandon, who has been with FreedomWorks since 2005 and has acted as president for about 10 years, told the outlet he plans to create a new organization that is focused on politically independent millennials and Gen Z members.

The group’s closure doesn’t come as a complete shock for employees as FreedomWorks laid off 40 percent of its staff in March 2023, and its total revenue dropped by roughly half since 2022, Brandon told Politico.

Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.