Trump appears to prefer menacing his foes over clearing his name
Normally, a criminal defendant wants a speedy trial and swift exoneration. But not felon and former president Donald Trump. He employs every trick in the book to delay his trial dates while complaining that, in effect, he should be allowed to keep threatening witnesses, jurors and court personnel. A closer look at the fights over gag orders reveals the danger of delaying trials and makes clear the degree to which Trump poses a current threat to fellow Americans.
Trump desperately tried to delay his Manhattan hush money case involving the falsifying of business records. He also repeatedly maneuvered to push off a trial date for his Jan. 6 trial on charges of trying to subvert the 2020 election. Yet he has also rebelled against restraining orders — imposed by trial judges Justice Juan Merchan in Manhattan and District Court Judge Tanya S. Chutkan in the Jan. 6 federal case — to protect the targets of his threats from real danger. He wails that the gag orders violate his First Amendment rights and interfere with his presidential campaign.
In other words, Trump seems uninterested in justice quickly obtained that might quickly exonerate him and free him from the gag orders. Instead, he revels in inciting the mob against his legal tormentors.
What the prosecutions’ papers and the judges’ rulings in these cases reveal is the stunning impact of Trump’s incitement of his cult followers — bomb hoaxes, doxing, death threats. Trump’s menacing conduct has necessitated round-the-clock security for judges and prosecutors and extraordinary measures to conceal jurors’ identities.
This is the handiwork of someone running for president — and it speaks to his ability to stir dangerous passions. Rather than being chastened by the violence that resulted from his incendiary rhetoric on Jan. 6, 2021, Trump continues issuing diatribes with the potential to goad supporters to attack his perceived enemies.
https://wapo.st/3VVPlJL
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