Judge imposes partial gag order on Trump. What happens when he ignores it?
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan imposed a partial gag order on Donald Trump Monday, prohibiting him from targeting prosecutors, courtroom staff, and witnesses (including potential ones)—something Trump has regularly done so far. The order allows Trump to claim the prosecution is politically motivated and there is little doubt he’ll be hammering away at this angle in media and campaign stops.
Prosecutor Molly Gaston tried to make the case that Trump wasn’t “above the law.” Chutkan responded by mentioning that the First Amendment doesn’t allow Trump to threaten “people who are simply doing their jobs.” She continued, “We’re not talking about censorship here. We’re talking restrictions to ensure there is a fair administration of justice on this case.” Trump’s lawyers claimed the gag order was a “desperate effort at censorship.”
The big question now is, what will Chutkan do about it when Trump inevitably violates the order?
Jim Jordan searches for 217 votes
Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise both failed to get the magic 217 votes needed to stay or become speaker, respectively. Far-right Rep. Jim Jordan faces opposition from Republican House moderates unwilling to reward the Freedom Caucus for ousting McCarthy. Still, no one should ever depend on spineless Republican “moderates” for anything, and the Trump-backed Jordan has been bullying his way forward.
Meanwhile, some Democrats are willing to bail out Republicans … for a price.
OTHER STORIES
Abortion opponents are trying to deter people from traveling out of state for care
Funny how conservatives pretend to be about “individual liberty” and “states’ rights,” yet fight so hard to stifle both.
Teen booted from Republican summit as retribution for making DeSantis look bad
You’re never too young or too powerless to be put on the Republican Party’s shit list.
Scholastic tries to defend caving to book banning after one of its authors blasts the policy
With book-banning on the rise, Scholastic, which hosts an estimated 120,000 school book fairs across the country every year, could have fought back. They didn’t, and the backlash is growing.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas begs to be impeached
Chief Justice John Roberts has a growing ethical problem in his hands.
She was told her twin sons wouldn’t survive. Texas law made her give birth anyway
This is the American dystopia conservatives want for everyone.
Ukraine Update: Russia fails at Avdiivka
Russia’s disaster near this town in eastern Ukraine is its worst of the year—and among the biggest losses this entire war.
Sunday Four-Play: GOP still deciding which fanatical, anti-American traitor to anoint as speaker
Catch up on the inside-the-Beltway chatter.
More comics here.
