Look, you are allowed as a defendant in a criminal case or a civil case," he continued. “You’re allowed to criticize the prosecutor, you’re allowed to criticize the other party. You’re allowed to criticize the judge.”
Are you allowed to criticize the judge like this, though? My understanding is that judges can nail people for contempt for far less. I know Trump is trying to score a political point here and a contempt of court ruling would play into that… but I wish one of these judges would go “idgaf” and bring down the hammer.
I mean, you’re “allowed” to do many things if you don’t care about the consequences. Trump right now can criticize the judge as much as he wants - so long as he’s willing to suffer contempt of court rulings.
You’re right, though. Judges are being lenient on Trump with regard to his outside courtroom behavior due to his being a political figure. If you or I did what he has been doing, we’d be found in contempt of court ASAP.
When he says “criticize” he’s employing the time tested GOP tactic of genericizing his way out of criminality. You start by saying something obviously inflammatory and criminal, then you characterize your actions as more and more generic until you end up with something harmless sounding. That’s how you start by threatening witnesses and calling for violence against a judge then end up on TV talking about how you’re being imprisoned for “having an opinion”.
Are you allowed to criticize the judge like this, though? My understanding is that judges can nail people for contempt for far less. I know Trump is trying to score a political point here and a contempt of court ruling would play into that… but I wish one of these judges would go “idgaf” and bring down the hammer.
I mean, you’re “allowed” to do many things if you don’t care about the consequences. Trump right now can criticize the judge as much as he wants - so long as he’s willing to suffer contempt of court rulings.
You’re right, though. Judges are being lenient on Trump with regard to his outside courtroom behavior due to his being a political figure. If you or I did what he has been doing, we’d be found in contempt of court ASAP.
We’d be held in contempt so bigly, it’d make our heads spin.
When he says “criticize” he’s employing the time tested GOP tactic of genericizing his way out of criminality. You start by saying something obviously inflammatory and criminal, then you characterize your actions as more and more generic until you end up with something harmless sounding. That’s how you start by threatening witnesses and calling for violence against a judge then end up on TV talking about how you’re being imprisoned for “having an opinion”.