Trump, through his legal team, asked Judge Merchan to release Stormy Daniels from the gag order so he could attack her. The judge rejected the request.
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Prosecutors argued that exonerated Daniels or other witnesses would be dangerous to them and their families.
Prosecutor Chris Conroy said: “The fact that witnesses are brave enough to come in here under subpoena… should not expose them to the barrage of threats from this defendant that will endanger them and possibly their families.”
Judge Merchan agreed with prosecutors and denied the motion to modify the silence order: “The reason why the silence order is in place to begin with is precisely because of the nature of these attacks, the vitriol. These were very real, very threatening attacks on potential witnesses.”
Donald Trump’s frustration that he cannot use his platform to intimidate witnesses is growing. A big part of Trump’s defense strategy was to unleash intimidation and threats against anyone who would testify against him at trial. Judge Merchan disagrees, citing the ex-president’s long track record of attacking anyone involved in his trial.
Witnesses would not be safe if the gag order were changed. Trump is a threat to those involved in this process, and the fact that he has pushed for this motion indicates that the former president is nearing his breaking point and an explosion could be coming soon.
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