Send in the clown posse: Trump can’t attack Stormy, but MAGA pals can

On Wednesday, Donald Trump’s attorneys asked Judge Juan Merchan for two favors in Trump’s ongoing New York criminal trial, where he is charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to protect his 2016 campaign. 

First, Trump’s legal team asked the judge to declare a mistrial. That was denied. 

Trump’s team then asked Merchan to punch a hole in the gag order protecting members of the jury and witnesses from Trump’s malice so that he could “respond to the American people” about the testimony of adult film actor and director Stormy Daniels. The judge also denied that request. 

“The nature, the vitriol … your client’s track record speaks for itself here,” said Merchan. “I can’t take your word for it that he says, ‘I’m just going to speak the facts.’”

But if Trump can’t attack Daniels himself, he can always call on surrogates to attack her in his place. And that’s exactly what he did.