Merchan’s daughter got 'credible' death threats 'requiring intervention' after Trump attacks

14 August 2024

Throughout former President Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York, the ex-president frequently launched into attacks on Judge Juan Merchan and his daughter, Loren, resulting in the judge handing down a gag order.

Even after Merchan's gag order, Trump's surrogates still included Loren Merchan — who is a minority partner in Authentic Campaigns, a political consulting firm that helps Democratic candidates – in their attacks on the judge and the legal system itself. Now, MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin is reporting that Loren Merchan and her business partner have been receiving consistent death threats following the months of invective from the ex-president and his allies.

On Wednesday, Rubin tweeted that in their letter responding to House Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Jordan's (R-Ohio) request for "documents and information," both Loren Merchan and Authentic co-founder Mike Nellis said they have had to contend with an increase in threats against both themselves and their families.

"Since these unfounded allegations surfaced, Loren Merchan and I have faced death threats and harassment, and suffered reputational damage," Nellis stated. "Members of our families have been harassed and received threats as well. In some cases, threats were discovered by or deemed credible by law enforcement, requiring intervention."

Nellis further elaborated that "Loren and her family have been advised by law enforcement on several occasions to leave their home for their own safety after her personal information, including her home address, was widely shared by self-proclaimed MAGA supporters." He additionally accused Jordan's committee of "abusing its power for partisan ambition... at the expense of the safety and 'whole lives' of private American citizens."

Almost every time there was a break in trial proceedings, Trump would hold an impromptu press gaggle in the hallway of the Manhattan courthouse where he spent most of the spring and attack Judge Merchan and prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office. Even after Merchan imposed the gag order preventing the former president from attacking jurors, witnesses, court staff and their families, Trump still had to pay $10,000 for 10 separate violations of the order — including seven times in just one week.

The fact that multiple Trump surrogates attacked the people and groups protected by Merchan's gag order appeared to have been a deliberate strategy, according to Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), who said as much in an interview with far-right network Newsmax. Alabama's senior U.S. senator was one of the many top Republicans who made the pilgrimage to Manhattan to speak out on Trump's behalf during his trial proceedings.

"Hopefully, we'll have more and more senators and congressmen go up there every day to represent him, and be able to overcome this gag order," Tuberville said at the time. "And that's one of the reasons we went, is to be able to speak our peace for President Trump."

At the conclusion of the six-week trial, Trump was found guilty on all 34 class E felony counts of falsifying business records. The conviction marked the first time ever a former president of the United States was convicted of crimes. And because the convictions are at the state level, Trump would not be able to pardon himself, as pardons for state-level convictions are subject to the discretion of the governor.

Trump will be sentenced in Manhattan on September 18. Class E felonies in New York do not require incarceration, though Judge Merchan could still sentence Trump to as many as 20 years behind bars.

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