To avoid retaliation, prosecutors are hiding the witness schedule in the Trump case

Prosecutors in Donald Trump’s criminal hush-money trial in New York are keeping the witness schedule secret to prevent the former president from targeting future witnesses. This decision was made due to Trump’s violation of the order limiting extrajudicial rulings. The prosecutor notifies attorneys one day before each witness is called to testify, rather than making public an expected witness list. This adds an element of suspense to the trial as the witnesses are revealed one by one. Despite claims from Trump’s defense team that this puts him at a disadvantage, the prosecutor insists the defense has had the witness list for a long time.

Trump is under a gag order that prohibits him from speaking about witnesses and jurors. However, he has already been convicted of contempt of court ten times for violating this order. The latest disparaging quotes were issued on a day of testimony from Trump Organization insiders about the way the company operates and business details at the heart of the case. Former Trump Organization controller Jeff McConney was a key witness, testifying about paybacks to Trump’s former fixer, Michael Cohen. These payments were allegedly falsified by Trump to conceal the payment to Stormy Daniels.

During that day’s proceedings, Trump was warned by the judge to stop violating the court’s orders or face jail time. Despite being fined $10,000 for ten separate violations of the silence order, the judge opted not to immediately throw Trump in jail. The judge emphasized that detention would be a last resort and would disrupt the proceedings, but emphasized that he has work to do. Trump appeared unyielding as he left the court, indicating he may continue to violate the silence order to prioritize his right to free speech. The trial continues to unfold with layers of tension and dramatic testimony adding to the high-profile nature of the case.