Justice Juan Merchan is likely to rule on former president and current front-runner Donald Trump’s alleged gag order violations shortly after the “hush money” trial resumes this week. Following a Monday recess, direct and cross-examination will continue on April 30, May 2, and May 3. The judge’s decision could come on any one of those days.
The hotly anticipated ruling adds a new layer of novelty to what is already an unprecedented case in which prosecutors have reinterpreted legal standards and concepts in pursuit of a political foe, a legal scholar and expert witness in high-profile criminal cases has told The Epoch Times.
On April 25, Christopher Conroy and other government lawyers spent the opening part of the proceedings at 100 Centre St. trying to convince Justice Merchan that statements of President Trump’s in a press conference, in interviews, and on social media violate the terms of the judge’s gag order.
Testimony began in earnest the second week of trial for former President Donald Trump in New York, where he has been charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Same Facts, Different Stance on ‘Crime’
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker’s testimony spanned four days, during which he laid out the full timeline of events between an August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower which prosecutors allege was the beginning of a conspiracy, and his signing of a non-prosecution agreement in 2018.The prosecution and defense both questioned Mr. Pecker twice, and did not dispute the facts in Mr. Pecker’s recounting of events. However, prosecutors allege the events were acts of conspiracy and Mr. Pecker was a co-conspirator, while defense attorneys elicited testimony that Mr. Pecker believed his business practices to be standard procedure, and did not know what campaign law he could have violated.
