As soon as the magistrate judge in Washington warned Donald Trump that it was a crime to "influence a juror or try to threaten or bribe a witness or retaliate against anyone" related to his federal indictment for attempting to overturn the 2020 election, you could feel it coming: Trump would immediately flout the order his lawyers had agreed to in court. Sure enough, it took less than 24 hours for the 78-times-indicted former host of "The Apprentice" to issue all-caps challenges to the judge's authority on Truth Social. "IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I'M COMING AFTER YOU!" he posted in his usual understated manner.
Prosecutors promptly bundled up the threat into a request for a protective order. That was largely granted by U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan, who warned Trump, "I will take whatever measures are necessary to safeguard the integrity of these proceedings." Now, of course, Trump sees that warning as a dare. Except for a brief campaign visit to Iowa, he spent most of last weekend doing what he loves best: Delivering unhinged rants on social media attacking the judge, the prosecutors and, in a direct violation of the order, potential witnesses he called out by name.
