Republican former House Speaker Newt Gingrich continues to support former President Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee attends his criminal trial in Manhattan where he faces 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business documents to cover up payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Gingrich has blamed President Joe Biden and his administration for the four indictments and 88 criminal charges against Trump, calling them attempts at “election interference” executed by a “weaponized” Department of Justice.
On Fox News, Gingrich yesterday said: “An appointed corrupt judge in New York who I believe is about to put Donald Trump in prison…By what right does an appointed local judge put someone who’s the nominee of their party, former president, in prison? But he’s openly told us twice now that it’s going to happen… Just ask yourself, what would it be like to be Trump in prison in New York?”
As if “a former president” is some new form of American citizen https://t.co/9pczAWYQhW
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 7, 2024
Note: Judge Juan Merchan has the right to put Trump in jail for violating his gag order. Merchan has been criticized for being too lenient with the defendant, who has violated his gag order ten times.
Merchan told Trump in the courtroom yesterday: “The last thing I want to do is put you in jail. You are the former president of the United Sates and possibly the next president as well.”
The judge has repeatedly warned Trump against violating his gag order. Trump can avoid jail by obeying the gag order which restricts him from commenting on jurors, witnesses, prosecutors and family of the judge and DA Alvin Bragg.
Conservative political scientist Tom Nichols criticized Gingrich for insinuating that Trump is above the law. He wrote: “As if ‘a former president’ is some new form of American citizen.”