Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is already pushing the limits of the legal system with his farce of a persecution against Donald Trump.
But Bragg’s now blowing past any pretense that this is anything other than election interference.
And Alvin Bragg asked a judge to take this unthinkable action against Donald Trump.
Day one of Trump’s trial sees Bragg try to sanction Donald Trump
Alvin Bragg wasted no time in leveraging fellow Democrat Juan Merchan presiding as the judge in this case to go after Donald Trump.
Bragg filed a motion with Merchan to fine Trump $3,000 for social media posts Bragg claimed violated the unconstitutional gag order Merchan slapped on Trump in this trial.
“While arguing for the admission of tweets and social media posts evocative of Trump’s pressure campaign on witnesses, the DA’s office drops this: ‘Shortly, we will be seeking an order to show cause why Defendant should not be held in contempt’ for violating the gag order,” MSNBC’s Lisa Rubin reported.
“Manhattan DA’s office asks court to impose a $1k sanction for each of 3 prior posts, order him to take them down, and warn him that further violations will result in jail time. DA notes a 9:12 am post today, potentially made inside the courthouse, also violates the order,” Rubin added.
Bragg went after Trump over social media posts made on the eve of the trial where Trump responded to public comments made by Daniels and Cohen – Bragg’s two star witnesses – in the trial.
“Has disgraced attorney and felon Michael Cohen been prosecuted for LYING?” Trump posted.
Trump called Cohen and Daniels “two sleaze bags who have, with their lies and misrepresentations, cost our Country dearly!”
Syracuse University Law Professor Gregory Germain thinks Trump’s posts don’t merit a fine.
“I suspect he’d argue that he criticized their general character, and was not commenting on their ‘potential participation’ in the investigation or proceeding,” Germain told the Associated Press.
Bragg’s strategy
Donald Trump is a candidate for President.
Witnesses like Cohen are also political opponents who use every opportunity to attack Trump as a criminal and claim these trials make him unfit for office.
If Trump responds to these broadsides, Bragg can ask Merchan to slap him with an escalating series of punishments.
Bragg asked for a fine in this case.
But any more alleged “violations” of this gag order and Bragg can then demand Merchan revoke Trump’s bail and ship him off to Riker’s Island for the remainder of the trial.
That would completely prevent Donald Trump from campaigning for the next two months while he rots away in a jail cell.
This exact scenario is why legal experts expressed concern about the concept of a gag order against Trump in these cases.
It’s impossible to untangle the politics from the law because in this case, the law is political.
