In the New York hush money trial, Donald Trump will face consequences for not getting his way.
Presiding Judge Juan Merchan made a ruling on Monday allowing prosecutors to question the former president regarding previous judgments and violations of gag orders. This ruling would only come into play if Trump decides to testify, which he has expressed eagerness to do so by stating that he would “absolutely” take the stand in the trial.
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However, his legal team may discourage him from doing so, especially given his previous attempts to alter the narrative surrounding past verdicts by taking the stand.
The district attorney’s office recently indicated their interest in highlighting a series of Trump’s previous lawsuits to portray him as an untrustworthy individual. These cases include the notable New York civil fraud trial, where Trump was required to pay a substantial sum of nearly half a billion dollars to the state. Additionally, there were defamation trials initiated by E. Jean Carroll, who successfully obtained an impressive payout of $83.3 million.
Merchan has made the decision to allow questioning on various topics. These include Trump’s defamation of E. Jean Carroll, the New York bank fraud trial, the 2018 case that led to the dissolution of the Trump Foundation, and Trump’s repeated violations of the gag order issued by Judge Arthur Engoron. It’s worth noting that Merchan did not mention the sexual assault ruling in relation to Trump’s defamation of E. Jean Carroll.
It is worth mentioning that Trump has come close to violating another gag order in this trial multiple times. He has used his Truth Social account to criticize witnesses, court staff, and even their family members, including Merchan’s daughter.
According to The New York Times, Merchan informed the court on Monday that he had significantly limited the aspects of Trump’s legal history that could be scrutinized. He cautioned the GOP presidential nominee that this decision was meant to protect him, not to enable further questioning that had been excluded.
