REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz; Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Another week, another contempt-of-court hearing for Donald Trump — and this one was a doozy.
On Thursday morning, prosecutors at Trump's Manhattan hush-money trial argued that he violated his gag order last week, during four on-camera statements in which he attacked witnesses and the jury.
Things got weird when defense attorney Todd Blanche complained that Trump must remain silent about witnesses and jurors while his opponents get to say whatever they like.
That's when President Joe Biden and "Von ShitzInPants" made their bizarre cameo appearances on the official trial record.
Biden "mocked President Trump," Blanche complained to the judge, quoting into the record a joke the president had made at the White House Correspondents' dinner on Saturday.
"I've had a great stretch since the State of the Union. But Donald has had a few tough days lately. You might call it stormy weather," Biden had quipped apparently in reference to Stormy Daniels, the porn star at the center of Trump's hush-money trial.
Blanche lamented to the judge, state Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, "President Trump can't respond to that" by criticizing Daniels.
Likewise, Trump's ex-personal attorney-turned-nemesis, Michael Cohen, can take whatever potshot he chooses, Blanche griped.
Trump must remain silent, Blanche complained, even when Cohen mocks him as Donald "Von ShitzInPantz," a favorite insult of Cohen's podcast and commentary on the social media site X.
Blanche read that colorfully worded, offending tweet into the record as Trump himself sat listening at the defense table.
"Hey Von ShitzInPantz," Blanche recited as the court stenographer duly followed along.
"Your attacks of me stink of desperation," he continued quoting the Tweet. "We are all hoping that you take the stand in your defense."
"Everybody can say anything they want except for President Trump," Blanche told the judge.
Blanche read a few more Cohen tweets into the record. Again, Trump was required to remain seated to his left, listening.
They included this direct taunt: "Keep messing with me Donald and I won't send any money to your commissary!"
"Michael Cohen has gone on TikTok, nightly" and makes money from it, Blanche complained to the judge.
Last month, Cohen pledged to stop talking about Trump until after his testimony in the trial is over.
Merchan has already found Trump in contempt of court for gag violations. Last Thursday, he fined the GOP frontrunner $9,000 for nine online attacks on witnesses and jurors.
The judge did not immediately rule on the four additional Trump statements now before him.
Prosecutors are asking that Trump be fined another $4,000, the maximum allowed, for four on-camera statements Trump made last week.
Contempt of court is punishable under New York law by as much as 30 days in jail per violation. The DA's office has not asked for jail.
However, prosecutors and the judge have warned that jail may be appropriate if there are future violations.
