During a hearing Thursday over claims Donald Trump again defied a gag order issued by the judge in his hush money trial, the former president’s lead lawyer agreed with Judge Juan Merchan — and that appeared to infuriate his client.
Just days after the New York Times reported that Trump is butting heads with attorney Todd Blanche, complaining that he is not being “aggressive” enough, the lawyer may have thrown more fuel on that fire by conceding a point about his client’s actions.
At issue was Merchan battling with Blanche over comments Trump has been making to the press which are testing the boundaries of the gag order, with the defense attorney maintaining his client has the right to defend himself when pressed by reporters.
As MSNBC’s Kyle Griffin reported on X, “Judge Merchan to Trump’s lawyer: ‘You’re telling me the scrutiny is outrageous, but nobody’s forcing him’ to talk to the press in the hall. ‘The entire area has been set up the way it has been set up so that your client, who is a candidate for president,’ can exercise his political speech rights.”
Lawfare’s Tyler McBrien contributed, “Merchan cuts Blanche off to point out that in certain statements, Trump went to the press, the press didn’t go to him. He quite literally could’ve gone out a different door, nobody forced Trump. ‘Judge…I agree with that,’ Blanche says defeatedly, w/ big laugh from the press.”
According to legal analyst Norm Eisen, Blanche’s response seems to have exasperated Trump.
On X, he wrote, “OMG, Blanche says ‘I agree with that’ to judge regarding one of Trump statements. Trump looks back to his coterie seated behind him (includes Epsteyn), shakes head in disgust. He always turns on his lawyers.”
