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Donald Trump's niece Mary has a plan to get her uncle to spend a few nights in a jail cell.
On her podcast, Mary, a prominent critic of the former president and his family, discussed the recent gag order that was imposed on him in the 2020 election interference case brought by special counsel Jack Smith. She invited attorney Joe Gallina to discuss the legal implications of that order.
"What happens, if and when he breaks this [order], offenses will lead to prison or jail, I would say," Gallina said. Mary then asked, "I'm wondering if you have any recommendations for how we collectively can goad Donald into breaking this gag order."
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign via email for comment.
U.S. District Judge Tayna Chutkan decided to issue the limited gag order at a Monday hearing, barring the former president from making statements that target prosecutors, possible witnesses and court staff.
Chutkan said while Trump would still be allowed to assert his belief that the criminal cases against him were politically motivated, he could not launch a "smear campaign" against players in the courtroom and threatened to impose further sanctions if Trump violates the order.
"No other criminal defendant would be allowed to do so, and I'm not going to allow it in this case," the judge said.
Donald has vowed to appeal the order, blasting the decision as unconstitutional and saying it is an attempt by President Joe Biden to "muzzle his political opponent."
In response to the gag order, Mary wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), "Donald's gag order: making silence great again."
The decision on whether to restrict Trump's incendiary rhetoric about the case highlights its unprecedented nature and how a court should go about limiting the speech of a criminal defendant who is also running for president of the United States. While gag orders are not uncommon, the former president's status as the Republican front-runner further complicates the issue.
Trump has made several public comments, including some at political rallies, calling the justice system "rigged," Chutkan a "Trump-hating judge," Smith "deranged" and prosecutors a "team of thugs."
Chutkan pushed back on the idea that Trump's political speech would be limited, telling his attorneys, "We're not talking about censorship here. We're talking restrictions to ensure there is a fair administration of justice on this case."
She continued: "I cannot imagine any other criminal case where a defendant is allowed to call a prosecutor deranged or a thug. No other defendant would be allowed to do it, and I'm not going to allow it in this case."
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more