MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace tossed her script live on air out of frustration with Donald Trump’s criticism of a judge overseeing one of his cases.
Trump had targeted Justice Juan Merchan and his daughter on social media after the daughter posted about wanting Trump in jail.
Wallace introduced a discussion on Trump not hesitating to target judges and families in his New York hush money case.
She said they shouldn’t keep having the same conversation about Trump breaking threats to the judiciary.
Merchan then imposed a partial gag order barring Trump from discussing witnesses and jurors but allowing remarks on Merchan and the Manhattan DA.
“The threat to the rule of law posed by an ex-president who does not hesitate to target judges and their children is where we start today with some of our favorite reporters and friends,” Wallace said.
“So, you know, it’s time to do something different. Like we’re not going to have this conversation again. I have come on the air with breaking news about requests for gag orders because of threats for judges and their kids more times than I can count today before I got ready,” Wallace added.
“Donald Trump broke the rule of law, and we should cover a broken judiciary in this country. Donald Trump managed to delay every federal criminal trial based on facts that he barely denies. Donald Trump managed to enlist the Supreme Court in a delayed process, the highest court in the land. Donald Trump brazenly and repeatedly attacks not just judges … Judges don’t have the Secret Service protecting them,” she added.
Trump continued criticizing them on Truth Social.
He questioned why the judge’s daughter could post about jailing him while he couldn’t respond.
“So, let me get this straight, the Judge’s daughter is allowed to post pictures of her ‘dream’ of putting me in jail, the Manhattan D.A. is able to say whatever lies about me he wants, the Judge can violate our Laws and Constitution at every turn, but I am not allowed to talk about the attacks against me, and the Lunatics trying to destroy my life, and prevent me from winning the 2024 Presidential Election, which I am dominating?” Trump asked.
The DA requested the judge clarify the order and tell Trump to stop family attacks.
Former prosecutor Andy McCarthy said the multiple complex cases against Trump, with tight trial schedules, amount to a due process violation by making adequate preparation impossible and potentially taking the potential 2024 nominee off the campaign trail for months.
“The due process violation is the strategy to throw four trials at him under circumstances where these cases are so complex that in an ordinary defendant’s case, you would get over a year to get prepared for trial, and they’re not only you know lining up four cases, they’re making it impossible for him to prepare adequately for any one because of the quantity that they’ve thrown at him,” McCarthy said.
“I think our tendency is that as we’ve gone through because this is the only way you can go through it sensibly, is to go through each case, but I think sometimes we don’t realize the cumulative effect of this is unbelievable, and it will become unbelievable to people when they realized that in a criminal trial, a defendant has to be present in court every day, every moment of the case,” McCarthy added.
“You’re talking about taking the Republican nominee off the campaign trail and locking him in a courtroom basically for somewhere between three and nine months, depending on, you know, how efficient they can push these cases through,” McCarthy said.