Former President Trump took to Truth Social at 2:03am ET on Thanksgiving to attack people involved in the fraud case that threatens his real estate empire, along with his political opponents.
Why it matters: The early-morning diatribe is hardly a traditional Thanksgiving message, but it is classic Trump — and it comes as court officials argue that a gag order restricting just these sorts of posts relating to the $250 million New York civil fraud trial should be reinstated.
What he’s saying: In a post beginning “Happy Thanksgiving to ALL,” Trump called:
- Attorney General Letitia James, who brought the civil fraud charges against Trump and other Trump Organization executives, “racist and incompetent;”
- Judge Arthur Engoron, who is overseeing the trial, a “Psycho” who had purposely undervalued his assets, and;
- Engoron’s legal clerk, whom Trump has repeatedly attacked during the trial, “Politically Biased and Corrupt.”
- Trump also went after “Crooked Joe Biden,” the “Radical Left,” “RINOS” and more, before vowing to win the 2024 election.
Driving the news: A New York appeals court last week paused a gag order Engoron had imposed on Trump after the former president began posting attacks against the law clerk.
- Trump was fined twice under the order for a combined $15,000.
- Once able to comment freely, Trump quickly resumed knocking the clerk and the proceedings more generally.
- The appeals process around the gag order is ongoing. N.Y. court officials argued in favor of reinstating the order on Wednesday, citing threats against Engoron and the clerk after Trump’s posts.
Zoom out: Trump is also fighting a gag order in his federal election interference case.
The latest: Trump posted a video later on Thanksgiving morning with a more traditional message, thanking troops serving overseas and first responders at home.
Go deeper: What Trump stands to lose in his New York civil fraud trial
Source : AXIOS