Topline
The judge overseeing the Manhattan criminal court case against former President Donald Trump has received an influx of threats in recent weeks, according to a source familiar with the situation—as Trump and his allies have targeted the judge’s previous oversight of a case against the Trump Organization, along with his daughter’s career as a Democratic campaign consultant.
Former President Donald Trump appears in court for his arraignment, Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in New … [+]
Key Facts
Judge Juan Merchan’s chambers have received a significant number of threats, none of which have been substantiated, since Trump was indicted on Thursday, the source said, while noting it’s commonplace for judges of any court to receive threats.
The judge’s family has also been threatened, NBC reported, citing two sources familiar with the matter who said the NYPD is providing additional security to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and that court security officers have ramped up protections for Merchan.
Trump has claimed Merchan “hates” him, citing Merchan’s previous oversight of the tax fraud case against the Trump Organization and its former CFO Allen Weisselberg.
The ex-president and his allies, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Donald Trump Jr., have also targeted Merchan’s daughter, Loren, and her connections to Democrats as president and partner of the political consulting firm Authentic Campaigns, which counts campaigns for President Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) as clients.
“I have a Trump hating judge, with a Trump hating wife and family,” Trump said Tuesday during his post-indictment speech from Mar-A-Lago in which he cast the various law enforcement investigations against him as election interference designed to hurt his chances of winning the presidency in 2024.
New York State Court spokesperson Lucian Chalfen declined to comment on any particular threats, but said the court’s judicial protection unit is “watching and monitoring and adjusting accordingly.”
Tangent
Merchan chastised Trump for his incendiary rhetoric in the weeks leading up to the indictment during his Tuesday arraignment, where he urged Trump to “refrain” from “comments that have potential to incite violence, create civil unrest [or] jeopardize the state or well-being of any individuals,” according to multiple reports. Merchan did not rule out a future gag order against Trump that would prevent him from commenting on the case, if necessary.
Key Background
Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Tuesday. The charges stem from a broad hush-money scheme prosecutors said he orchestrated to prevent damning stories about him in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election. He faces a maximum sentence of 136 years in prison, four years for each count, if convicted at trial (which would likely take place in the first half of next year), though experts have noted it’s unlikely he receives prison time.
Surprising Fact
Merchan, who previously served as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan, oversaw tax fraud cases against the Trump Organization and its former CFO Allen Weisselberg. Weisselberg was sentenced to five months in prison after taking a plea deal in the case, and the Trump Organization was convicted by a jury and sentenced by Merchan to pay $1.6 million, the maximum penalty for its crimes.
Further Reading
Trump’s Criminal Charges To Be Overseen By Same Judge Who Sentenced His Company For Tax Fraud—And He’s Not Happy About It (Forbes)
Trump Judge Chastises Ex-President For Inflammatory Rhetoric—And Doesn’t Rule Out Gag Order (Forbes)
Suspicious White Powder And Threat Sent To Manhattan DA As Possible Trump Indictment Looms (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/04/05/trump-judge-juan-merchan-has-received-threats-amid-attacks-from-ex-president-and-his-allies/