![Judge Expands Gag Order Against Trump in NY Hush Money Case](https://img.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2023/03/31/id5163123-New-York-County-District-Attorneys-office-700x420.jpg)
The judge overseeing the Manhattan district attorney’s hush money case against former President
Donald Trump has approved a request to expand a recently imposed gag order on the president. The decision came late Monday, and gags
President Trump from discussion of members of the court and the family members of the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg. “This pattern of attacking family members of presiding jurists and attorneys assigned to his cases serves no legitimate purpose,” Judge Juan Merchan wrote. “It merely injects fear in those assigned or called to participate in the proceedings that not only they, but their family members as well, are ‘fair game,’ for Defendant’s vitriol.” Mr. Bragg had petitioned Judge Merchan earlier in the day to expand the gag order to prevent President Trump referencing family members of individuals involved in the case. The AG’s office highlighted comments from President Trump about the judge’s daughter. “Defendant’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,” state prosecutor Matthew Colangelo wrote in the court filing. President Trump had been posting on his
Social Media platform Truth Social that Judge Merchan’s daughter, Loren Merchan who is a
Democratic political consultant, “makes money by working to ‘Get Trump.’” Critics said his posts were attacks on Ms. Merchan and false accusations. President Trump’s attorneys had pushed back against the request, saying that it would further violate the presumptive
Republican nominee’s First Amendment rights.