The New York judge presiding over the criminal case against former U.S. president Donald Trump has been inundated with threats from Trump’s loyal fanbase, according to numerous reports.
Judge Juan Merchan and his family, along with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other officials, have seen an influx of threats made against them in recent weeks. The threats have come as calls, emails and letters.
New York police officials are providing extra security to all District Attorney’s Office staff members affected by the threatening messages. Security within the courthouse has also been upped as a precaution.
Earlier this week Merchan reportedly told lawyers on both sides of the case to “please refrain from making statements that are likely to incite violence or civil unrest.”
Still, Trump himself took aim at Merchan on his social media platform Truth Social, writing without substantiation that Merchan is a “highly partisan judge.” He said Merchan and his family are “Trump haters,” citing work done by Merchan’s daughter as a Democratic campaign consultant for Vice-President Kamala Harris during the 2020 election as a reason for bias.
Both Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have also shared articles from conservative sources discussing the employment history of Merchan’s adult daughter, Loren.
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Loren has been connected to the digital agency Authentic Campaigns and has been identified as both president and partner. The company assisted with advertising and fundraising for President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris during the presidential campaign. Authentic Campaigns has worked with numerous Democratic groups.
According to NBC, there is no evidence that Loren has worked for Biden in any capacity since the 2020 election.
Trump also earlier decried Merchan on social media for his previous role as an assistant district attorney in a tax fraud case against the Trump Organization and former CFO Allen Weisselberg. In January, Weisselberg pleaded guilty to 15 charges, including grand larceny, and was sentenced to five months in prison. He was fined US$1.6 million. Trump was not charged.
On Tuesday, following his indictment, Trump told a group of supporters in Mar-a-Lago that he was being indicted by “a Trump-hating judge, with a Trump-hating wife and family.” He said his indictment was an attempt by corrupt, politically motivated officials to “interfere with the upcoming 2024 election.”
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Bragg on Tuesday said charges were brought on because he has a responsibility to ensure everyone stands equal before the law.
Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over allegations that he orchestrated payments to two women before the 2016 election to suppress publication of their sexual encounters with him.
Prosecutors said the payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal constituted an attempt to conceal a violation of election law.
Opinion polls show Trump as the front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination as he seeks to deny Biden a second term in office. An indictment or even conviction does not legally prevent a person from running for president.
— With files from Reuters
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