- The NY judge handling Donald Trump’s criminal case has gotten death threats, a source said.
- New York Supreme Justice Juan Merchan has received multiple threats over the last week, said the source.
- Trump targeted Merchan and his family in verbal and online attacks on the day of his Tuesday arraignment.
The New York City judge handling former President Donald Trump’s criminal “hush-money” case has been facing ongoing death threats and harassment in recent days, Insider has learned.
New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan has received multiple threats over the last week — before and after Trump’s historic Tuesday arraignment on a 34-count felony indictment inside a Manhattan courthouse, a person familiar with the situation told Insider on Thursday.
There have been “a number of” harassing calls and emails to Merchan’s courthouse chambers for more than a week, the source said.
A spokesman for New York’s Office of Court Administration told Insider in a statement on Thursday that there continues to be a beefed up security presence “in and around” state courthouses.
“Over the past weeks we have continued to evaluate and assess security concerns and potential threats and have maintained an increased security presence in and around courthouses and throughout the judiciary and will adjust protocols as necessary,” court system spokesman Lucian Chalfen said.
Chalfen added that the state’s court system has a Judicial Threat Unit “with offices both inside and outside of New York City, where judges can report harassment, threats, inappropriate contacts and so forth.”
“These reports are investigated and appropriate action is taken,” Chalfen said.
Shortly before Trump was arraigned this week on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, he posted about Merchan to his Truth Social app, saying in an all caps rant: “THE HIGHLY PARTISAN JUDGE & HIS FAMILY ARE WELL KNOWN TRUMP HATERS.”
“HE WAS AN UNFAIR DISASTER ON A PREVIOUS TRUMP RELATED CASE, WOULDN’T RECUSE, GAVE HORRIBLE JURY INSTRUCTIONS, & IMPOSSIBLE TO DEAL WITH DURING THE WITCH HUNT TRIAL,” Trump railed.
The former president even verbally attacked Merchan and his family hours after the judge warned Trump during his arraignment not to make remarks that could endanger others.
“This is where we are right now. I have a Trump-hating judge, with a Trump-hating wife and family, whose daughter worked for Kamala Harris and now receives money from the Biden-Harris campaign,” Trump alleged during a Tuesday night speech at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Hours earlier, Merchan told Trump in court: “Please refrain from making comments or engaging in conduct that has the potential to incite violence, create civil unrest, or jeopardize the safety or well-being of any individuals.”
A spokesperson for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Insider on Thursday.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who ultimately secured Trump’s indictment by a grand jury, has also been targeted in an onslaught of harassing calls and has had multiple death threats lodged against him in recent weeks, as Insider has previously reported.
The Democratic district attorney — who Trump has verbally attacked and called a “lunatic” and “danger” to the country — continues to receive threats, a source familiar with the matter told Insider on Thursday.
Source: I N S I D E R
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