Donald Trump appears via video as judge strengthens ban on assaulting witnesses

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NEW YORK (AP) – The judge in Donald Trump’s criminal case is holding a hybrid hearing Tuesday to double-check that the former president is aware of new rules barring him from using evidence to attack witnesses.

Trump did not have to appear in court for the afternoon hearing at a Manhattan courthouse, avoiding the enormous security and logistical challenges that came with his arraignment last month.

Instead, the Republican will be connected via video conference, with his face beamed onto courtroom TV monitors. His lawyers and prosecutors must still appear in person.

Judge Juan Manuel Merchan agreed to the extra step of instructing Trump personally on the restrictions after listing them on May 8 in a so-called protective order.

Trump is allowed to speak publicly about the case, but he risks contempt if he uses evidence turned over by prosecutors in the pretrial discovery process to target witnesses or others involved in the case.

Trump pleaded not guilty on April 4 to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to payments his company made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Prosecutors said those payments were intended to reimburse Cohen for arranging hush money payments during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations of extramarital affairs. Trump has denied having extramarital flings and said the prosecution was politically motivated.

The traders’ protection order prevents Trump and his lawyers from disseminating evidence to third parties or posting it on social media, and it requires that certain, sensitive material shared by prosecutors be preserved only by Trump’s lawyers, not Trump himself.

Prosecutors sought the order soon after Trump’s arrest, citing what they say is his history of making harassing, embarrassing and threatening statements about people he associates with who are legally undocumented. understanding

Merchan, citing Trump’s special status as a former president and current candidate, clarified that the protection order should not be treated as a gag order and that Trump has the right to publicly defend himself.

Trump’s lawyers are seeking to move his criminal case to federal court. It will continue in state court as that plays out.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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