Donald Trump may be Truth-ing his way into further legal jeopardy.
The ex-president, now facing three criminal investigations that have already resulted in charges and a fourth expected to do so imminently, has responded to every development in the prosecutions of his various alleged offences in an identical manner: By attacking the legal authorities and prosecutors following his footsteps.
Now, that tactic may be causing more harm than it is helping his chances of winning the 2024 Republican primary. On Friday, Mr Trump’s attorneys were warned by a judge in Washington DC overseeing his trial for attempting to overturn the 2020 election that “inflammatory” statements about the case could speed the trial along and result in her issuing protective orders chilling what he can and can’t say about the trial without facing further consequences.
“I caution you and your client to take special care in your public statements about this case,” Judge Tanya Chutkan said on Friday. “I will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings.”
She continued: “Even arguably ambiguous statements from parties or their counsel, if they can be reasonably interpreted to intimidate witnesses or to prejudice potential jurors, can threaten the process...The more a party makes inflammatory statements about this case which could taint the jury pool … the greater the urgency will be that we proceed to trial quickly.”
That admonishment did little to dissuade the former president, who almost immediately took to Truth Social to denounce not only the prosecution but Judge Chutkan herself.
"She obviously wants me behind bars. VERY BIASED & UNFAIR," he wrote of Ms Chutkan.
Some experienced DC litigators posited on Twitterthat the latest Truth Social posting by Mr Trump was exactly the kind of speech that could land him in further trouble with Judge Chutkan.
“It would not surprise me if Judge Chutkan called a hearing, with Trump’s presence, given his new remarks,” wrote Neal Katyal, a lawyer with history arguing before the Supreme Court.
Former congressman and current Morning Joe host Joe Scarborough also weighed in.
