The prosecutor in former President Donald Trump's criminal hush money case Monday demanded a stricter gag order to clamp down on his "dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric," court records show. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed his motion to
New York City Justice Juan Merchan, whose daughter has been the subject of repeated attacks from Trump on his
Social Media site Truth Social, according to court records . "[Trump's] dangerous, violent, and reprehensible rhetoric fundamentally threatens the integrity of these proceedings and is intended to intimidate witnesses and trial participants alike—including this Court," Bragg wrote. ALSO READ: No, Donald Trump, fraud is not protected by the First Amendment "This Court can and should clarify or extend the Order to protect family members of the Court on the record described below, and should warn defendant that any future disregard of the Order will result in
sanctions." Bragg's demand comes after Trump's attorneys argued Merchan's daughter was fair game for character attacks because she had engaged in political speech, noted reporter Adam Klasfield, among the first to spot the new filing. "But Bragg calls this a 'fig leaf' and a 'fiction,' rejected by a state judicial ethics committee last year," Klasfield wrote . Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records, is slated to see his trial begin in mid-April, court records show. Bragg contends Trump illegally funneled cash to adult film star
Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. This is one of three criminal court cases Trump faces linked to charges of
election interference, the other two pertaining to his actions between the 2020 presidential election and Jan. 6, 2021. On Monday, Bragg rebutted the former president's claim that his social media attacks were his constitutional right. ""Defendant’s claim of a constitutional right to levy personal attacks on family members is as disturbing as it is wrong," Bragg wrote. Shares in former President Donald Trump's Truth Social plunged this Monday after news broke that the company behind the platform lost more than $58 million in 2023 while generating very little revenue — seemingly confirming warnings from experts who said the company's multibillion-dollar valuation didn't make sense. According to a report from
CNN , Truth Social's revenue dropped 39 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter to just $751,500 -- "not what investors want to see from any start-up, especially one valued at these levels." Unsurprisingly, Trump's critics on X jumped at the news. "This is what a 'bloodbath' looks like," wrote podcaster Matthew Sheffield, referring to Trump's controversial comments during a speech last week. Also read:
China spreads MAGA conspiracy theories on faked social media accounts: report "GREAT NEWS," wrote
Democratic influencer Jon Cooper. "The price of $DJT is plummeting faster than a rat down a drainpipe. I don’t feel the least bit sorry for the MAGAt suckers who bought Truth Social stock — how about you?" "It’s a sinkhole and a non-start of a startup," wrote journalist Kara Swisher. "And an obvious scheme to pump money to Trump ." According to Trump's niece Mary Trump, there is "no universe in which a company with annual revenue of $4.1 million in revenue and LOST $58 million in one year is worth $10 billion." "The Trump media merger with Digital World Acquisition was meant to be a massive infusion of cash to Donald--a gift masquerading as an investment," she wrote on X. In a post to X, journalist Bill Grueskin assured his followers that the drop in shares was not an April Fool's joke. "Never want to hear another word about how
Donald Trump is a 'good businessman,'" wrote Biden delegate Victor Shi. "His Truth Social company lost $58 million in a year & its stock is now in complete free fall. He owes hundreds of millions because he’s a fraudster & cheater. Everything Trump touches dies." CONTINUE READING Show less Former
first lady Melania Trump may be back in the public eye — but according to New York Magazine's Intelligencer, she still "hasn't decided" the extent to which, or even whether, she'll play a role in her husband's re-election campaign. "In recent weeks, Melania has been dipping her toes into a return to campaigning, but she still won’t commit to jumping back in," reported Margaret Hartmann. "Throughout 2023, Melania said and did almost nothing to indicate that she wants to return to the
White House. Her only statement on the matter came in May 2023, via a brief online-only, photo-free interview with
Fox News. 'He has my support, and we look forward to restoring hope for the future and leading America with love and strength,' she said ." Trump vowed in September that Melania would join him on the campaign trail "pretty soon," the report notes. However, "As it turns out, 'pretty soon' meant 'within five or six months,' depending on whether you consider hanging out with some Trumpettes in her own home a public campaign appearance." Melania attended a fundraising gala hosted by the Trump fan club at Mar-a-Lago on Feb. 11 of this year, according to the report. "Days later, Trump claimed in an interview with Laura Ingraham that his wife was eager to get back out there," New York Magazine reports, noting she's only been seen in public three times since that point. And only of those occurrences was for campaign-related activity, the report notes. While she has not been engaged with the public, one person knowledgeable of Melania has previously said she routinely searches the web for mentions of herself. Meanwhile, Melania has not even committed to appearing at the
Republican National Convention yet, the report noted. "So, sure, Melania will 'definitely have a role' in Trump’s 2024 campaign," the report concludes, "but perhaps only in the sense that 'absent, disapproving spouse' is a role." CONTINUE READING Show less Former Donald Trump adviser
Hope Hicks will testify in his New York election interference case involving the alleged hush money given to Stormy Daniels, reports show. The court proceeding is set to begin jury selection on April 15, with Hick's name added to a list of witnesses on Monday. Trump's one-time lawyer
Michael Cohen is also reportedly among the witnesses called. Responding to the news Monday, MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin said Hicks' transcribed interview with Jan. 6 committee shows she's been willing to break with Trump in the past. READ ALSO: Weisselberg may have perjured himself a second time — and Michael Cohen wants answers "She didn't leave as acrimoniously as other people did. At the same time, she didn't share his belief that the election had been stolen," Rubin said. "That, at the time, was headline-making news, that Hope Hicks had essentially said to him, 'Mr. President, you and I don't see this the same way.'" Rubin argued Hicks' cordial departure, paired with her contrasting view on the 2020 presidential election, renders her credibility an open question. "It remains to be seen what Hope Hicks will be like in a courtroom if she testifies," Rubin said, "what her demeanor is like with Donald Trump, the defendant sitting right in front of her." Rubin explained she believes Hicks will be similar to the way
Ivanka Trump appeared when testifying. "I would liken her to Ivanka, who, when she testified at the civil fraud trial, because she is no longer a participant in her father's political life, because she was known to have advised him in the days after Jan. 6th to be contrite, to do things that he didn't do," Rubin assessed. "Although she was evasive, although Judge [Arthur] Engoron did take issue with the testimony, she was a much more credible witness as someone who's sitting in the courtroom, to me, than both of her brothers, for example, were." The legal expert also explained that Hicks may have been engaged in conversations during the hush money conversations with Trump and Cohen. It could make her a very important witness. "One of the shortcomings of the D.A.'s case is that, in many respects, it will strike the public as he said, he said," Rubin noted. "To the extent that Hope Hicks can say, 'This conversation happened, I was privy to it,' that, in and of itself, is a very big deal and a score for the Manhattan D.A.'s office," Rubin closed. See the full conversation in the video below or at the link here. Legal expert details why Hope Hicks will be such a 'compelling' witness in hush money case www.youtube.com CONTINUE READING Show less