Senator Tommy Tuberville is calling on fellow Republicans to help former President Donald Trump “overcome” a gag order in his New York criminal trial. Trump is facing 34 felony charges related to hush money payments and has been ordered by a New York State Supreme Court justice to refrain from making public statements about certain individuals involved in the trial. Tuberville and other GOP lawmakers attended the trial and denounced the proceedings, with some specifically speaking out on topics that Trump is prohibited from mentioning.
Tuberville encouraged other Republicans to show support for Trump by speaking on his behalf about the restricted topics during the trial. He cited this as one of the reasons they were present at the trial and expressed hope that more lawmakers would do the same. Some prominent Republicans, including Congressmen and former presidential candidates, have already heeded Tuberville’s call and shown their support for Trump in the courtroom. Despite repeated attempts by Trump’s legal team, the efforts to remove the gag order have not been successful.
The New York appeals court rejected an appeal seeking to invalidate the gag order, leading to Trump being fined multiple times for violating it. The presiding judge has warned that further violations could result in more serious consequences, potentially including time behind bars. Political scientists believe that Trump’s surrogates, such as Republican lawmakers, may continue to speak out on prohibited topics, effectively subverting the gag order. This strategy allows Trump’s allies to attack various aspects of the trial that the ex-president himself is unable to address directly.
Mark Shanahan, an associate professor in politics, noted that Trump’s surrogates can make attacks on the trial that Trump himself cannot make without being seen as directly involved. By bringing in loyal members of Congress to the courtroom, the Trump team has found a way to circumvent the gag order on the ex-president. Thomas Gift, the founding director of the Center on U.S. Politics, highlighted the willingness of some Republicans to defend Trump and support him, even in the face of legal constraints. Trump’s reliance on his surrogates to speak on his behalf indicates a level of dedication from certain GOP politicians in defending their party leader.
