On Tuesday, Justice Arthur Engoron issued a partial gag order against Donald Trump and the rest of the defendants in the $250 million New York fraud trial. That was in response to Trump’s vicious post on Truth Social baselessly claiming that Engoron’s clerk is Sen. Chuck Schumer’s girlfriend and “running the case.” For extra menace, Trump included a photo of her with Schumer and a link to her Instagram account. The judge ordered the post to be removed and forbid all the defendants from any posts, emails or public remarks about his staff .
Like clockwork, Fox News was there on behalf of their 91-felony-charged hero to make sure assaults on our legal system and the public servants who staff it continue unabated.
First, Jeanine Pirro ranted attacks on the judge, complemented by photos of the clerk and the judge, along with demonizing Fox News banners saying, “Trump Judge: I’m Above The Law,” “Trump judge can’t control his emotions” and “Bar band drummer oversees Trump Trial.”
Host Jesse Watters followed up with his own demonizing lie, saying that the judge had gagged Trump “because his clerk was in a photo with Chuck Schumer. Trump said this was Schumer’s girlfriend and now Trump’s not allowed to say anything about anybody in the court. Is that fair play?” Watters “forgot” to point out that Trump was very deliberately ginning up threats to the clerk, with lies, and that this was part of his long record of deliberately inciteful rhetoric against others involved in cases against him.
As Watters spoke, producers posted the photo of the clerk with Schumer that Trump had been ordered to take down. An accompanying banner read, “Trump judge likes fast cash and fast cars.”
Pirro followed up to further the baseless smear: “You know what I think is the most interesting about that?” the conspiracy theorist asked in a conspiratorial tone. "That Chuck Schumer didn’t answer the question, did he, Jesse? And I’ll leave it at that.”
Watters laughed heartily, noting at the closing when probably nobody was paying much attention but probably enough to avoid a defamation suit, “OK, we don’t know if he’s dating the woman or not but I don’t know, a gag order – Trump’s gonna break it.”
“Ya think? You know, that old First Amendment, it always comes in to bite you,” Pirro said, all but encouraging Trump to keep up his threats.
By the way, Schumer’s office has refuted the allegation, calling it “ridiculous, absurd, and false” and saying that he doesn’t know the clerk.
