Speaking to reporters on Monday, May 6, after yet another day in court over the allegations brought by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg in a case overseen by Judge Merchan, former President Donald Trump suggested that he would be willing to go to jail to violate a gag order placed on him by Judge Merchan. He argued, when speaking about the matter, that defending the Constitution is more important than worrying about jail time.
As background, Judge Merchan placed a gag order on Trump to stop him from commenting on certain matters about the case. The gag order bars Trump from, the AP reports, “commenting publicly on witnesses, jurors and some others connected to the matter.” Trump has routinely violated that gag order, leading Judge Merchan to fine him numerous times and, on Monday, even threaten jail. Judge Merchan has also ordered that Trump must remain in the courtroom for the trial, something which has kept him off the campaign trail.
Speaking to Trump on Monday about the gag order, Judge Merchan said, “It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent. Therefore going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction.” Judge Merchan then claimed that Trump’s comments “threaten to interfere with the fair administration of justice and constitute a direct attack on the rule of law. I cannot allow that to continue.”
As Trump glowered at him, Merchan threatened jail time, saying, “The last thing I want to do is put you in jail. He added, “You are the former president of the United States and possibly the next president, as well. There are many reasons why incarceration is truly a last resort for me. To take that step would be disruptive to these proceedings, which I imagine you want to end as quickly as possible.”
Trump, for his part, indicated that he might not back down. Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, he argued that the Constitution is more important than jail time, indicating that he might violate it again and risk jail as a way of standing up for the First Amendment.
He said, in those comments, “I have to watch every word I tell you people. You ask me a simple question, I’d like to give it but I can’t talk about it, because this judge has given me a gag order and says you’ll go to jail if you violate it. And frankly, you know what? Our Constitution is much more important than jail. It’s not even close. I’ll do that sacrifice any day.”
Watch him here:
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Kash Patel, a former member of the Trump Administration, commented on the gag order and threat of jail time, said, “Should this judge actually hold Donald Trump in contempt and put him in jail that is a depravation of liberty that is immediately appealable to not only the New York appellate court, but the highest court in New York state.”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video