(USNewsMag.com) – Florida Sen. Rick Scott is the latest Republican to speak out on behalf of former President Donald Trump, who is under a gag order in the hush money trial in New York.
The gag order, imposed by Judge Juan Merchan before the trial began, prohibits Trump from making public statements about witnesses, prosecutors, jurors, or their families and was expanded to include the judge’s family and the family of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
After a morning appearance on “Fox & Friends,” Scott appeared in the New York courtroom alongside Trump on May 9th. After a short time, Scott left the courtroom and commented on the case against Trump, bringing up topics that Trump cannot mention. Scott said the case and gag order are “a bunch of Democrats” trying to prohibit Trump from talking and campaigning, instead being “holed up in a courtroom.” He noted his court appearance was because he was “fed up,” not because of Trump’s gag order.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also appeared in court with Trump on April 30th and, a few days later, spoke out on Trump’s behalf, saying the gag order is a “perversion of justice.” He called it “tyrannical,” adding that the gag order not only prevents Trump from “defending himself” but from “basically campaigning.” On Twitter, Paxton said he stands “with Trump,” appearing in the courtroom during “this sham of a trial.”
After former adult film star Stormy Daniels’ testimony, Trump’s attorneys again argued he should not be under a gag order and allowed to respond to her testimony. However, on May 9th, Merchan denied the request to modify the gag order.
The ruling comes after Merchan’s April 30th ruling, where he fined Trump $9,000 for violating the gag order nine times, and his May 6th ruling, where he fined Trump an additional $1,000 for a separate violation. After the May 6th ruling, Merchan threatened Trump with jail time if he violated the gag order again.
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