Judge asks Trump to avoid inciting violence, ‘civil unrest’
A New York judge has asked former US President Donald Trump to avoid inciting violence or "civil unrest."
At the Manhattan Criminal Court, where Trump was charged with 34 felony counts on Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan advised the former president not to incite violence by riling up his supporters to cause "civil unrest."
In a 16-page indictment, prosecutors at the court hearing said Trump had sought to undermine the integrity of the 2016 election and had been part of an unlawful plan to suppress negative information.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement that Trump "repeatedly and fraudulently falsified New York business records to conceal criminal conduct that hid damaging information from the voting public during the 2016 presidential election."
Bragg said Trump arranged for the payment of $130,000 to an adult film actress, Stephanie Clifford, aka Stormy Daniels, to buy her silence about a 2006 affair. The payment, which Trump has admitted to, is at the heart of the Manhattan district attorney’s indictment of Trump, for violating campaign finance laws.
Playboy model Karen McDougal, who had received $150,000 from a US tabloid in exchange for not speaking about an affair she allegedly had with Trump was the center of another charge filed against Trump.
One payment of $30,000 had been made through an intermediary to a former Trump Tower doorman who had revealed that Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock, Bragg said.
"Not guilty," Trump said to the judge, claiming he had done no wrong.
Merchan said he would rule on the motions at the next in-person hearing, scheduled for December 4, adding that Trump's trial could potentially start in January 2024.
Then, the New York City judge told both sides of the case to urge their clients and witnesses to watch their behavior. However, he specified that this was a professional "request," and not a court "order" to all parties involved in the case.
Judge Merchan said, "Please refrain from making comments or engaging in conduct that has the potential to incite violence, create civil unrest, or jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals."
Commentators noted that the judge was addressing Trump for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot on Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives January 6 committee found that Trump criminally engaged in a "multi-part conspiracy" to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 US presidential election by inciting a violent insurrection among his supporters, which eventually led to the deadly attack by Trump loyalists on Jan. 6, 2021 on Capitol Hill.
Meanwhile, Trump's lawyers have announced they will fight to get the charges dropped.
Trump, himself, who has repeatedly said that the move was politically-motivated and has denied any wrongdoing, called on his supporters for monetary donations to his campaign, as well as protests against what he described as political persecution and election interference at the highest level in US history.
After exiting the courthouse on Tuesday, Trump claimed that he "never thought anything like this could happen in America."
"The only crime that I have committed is to fearlessly defend our nation from those who seek to destroy it," Trump said at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. The former president insisted he was "going through a fake investigation" that "turned out to be a sham."
Trump mentioned the 2020 presidential election and current President Joe Biden and claimed "our country is going to hell." Around 400 supporters there then applauded.
"As you know we're going through a fake investigation. That's what it is. By radical left people that I believe actually have to hate our country. And we're winning – we had a great day today, actually, because it turned out to be a sham," Trump continued.
He further continued, "And it's turning out to be that. And we have others down the line. But we've been winning them for eight years now, ever since we came down the golden escalator, as they call it, at Trump Tower."
Trump attacked District Attorney Bragg and other major officials leading criminal or civil probes of his conduct, including Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Meanwhile, Trump's campaign has raised $7 million in the days after his indictment, setting a record, a top campaign aide revealed on Monday.
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