CNN host Jim Acosta on Thursday was shocked when a guest on his show suggested that former President Donald Trump be tossed in jail over social media posts that allegedly violated a gag order.
Trump is accused of violating an expanded gag order imposed on April 1 by New York Judge Juan Merchan through a series of posts on Truth Social, according to Axios. Acosta, a former White House correspondent during the Trump administration, asked CNN legal analyst Joey Jackson what should be done to address Trump’s posts.
“The judge rendered an order. That order said that you’re not to be sending out posts as it relates to either witnesses or jurors or, you know, so follow the order and so what is going to be of interest to me is by Tuesday, number one, Jim, how many other times the former president does this, if any, and number two, what, if anything, the judge does?” Jackson responded. “I think we’re beyond the stage of admonishing someone saying, don’t do it. I think we have to give an order teeth. And to do that, I think there’s one or two things, economics, right, do you fine him or do you put him on ice, right, you put him in. You know, yes, it’s a former president, but at the same time —”
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“Jail? Is that what you’re saying?” Acosta asked.
Legal experts have criticized the gag order, with George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley noting that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen, who is expected to be a key witness in the trial, has made multiple media appearances attacking Trump.
“Why not? That’s exactly what I’m saying, Jim,” Jackson responded. “I mean, look, yes, I get he’s a former president. I get there are Secret Service. I get this case is like no other, but if you’re going to have someone completely flouting the rules of the court, how else are you going to maintain decorum? How else are you going to maintain respect? How else are you going to conduct a trial if you don’t have consequences?”
Jackson said that Merchan needed to assert his authority and to incentivize what he called “good behavior” on the part of Trump. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg asked Merchan to hold Trump in contempt of court over the social media posts Tuesday.
