New York judge presiding over Donald Trump criminal case gets death threats
Donald Trump is the first U.S. former president to face criminal charges
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York City judge overseeing Donald Trump's hush-money case has been receiving death threats and has been assigned a security team, Fox News Digital has learned.
The threats against Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan began about a week ago but have ramped up in the wake of Trump's historic arraignment Tuesday on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Trump, the first former U.S. president to ever face criminal charges, has pleaded not guilty.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Chambers has been getting the predictable harassing and defamatory calls and emails, all of which are being assessed," Office of Court Administration spokesman Lucian Chalfen told Fox News Digital.
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Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the media during an election night event at Mar-a-Lago on November 08, 2022, in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump spoke as the nation awaits the results of voting in the midterm elections. ((Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images))
"Over the past weeks we have continued to evaluate and assess security concerns and potential threats and have maintained an increased security presence in and around courthouses and throughout the judiciary and will adjust protocols as necessary," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two court officers are escorting Merchan to and from work – a precaution that began about a week ago. In light of the escalating threats, the NYPD is currently evaluating whether to station officers outside the judge's home, a law enforcement source said.
Court officers can't be assigned to Merchan's family members, but the NYPD could provide them with a detail, the source added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"This is appalling and we condemn anyone participating in such behavior," Trump's criminal defense lawyer Joe Tacopina told Fox News Digital.
Stormy Daniels reacted to former President Donald Trump's arraignment with an X-rated tweet. (Phillip Faraone/Getty Images/Photo by Seth Wenig-Pool/Getty Images)
Merchan presided over the Trump Organization's trial that led to the company's conviction on 17 counts of tax fraud and a fine of $1.6 million.
Trump called Merchan and his family "Trump haters" on social media and accused the judge of pressuring the organization's longtime CFO Alan Weisselberg to plead guilty to dodging taxes on $1.7 million in company perks.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Weisselberg testified against the Trump Organization at trial as part of a plea deal in exchange for a five-month jail sentence.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump called Merchan a "highly partisan judge and declared that "HIS DAUGHTER WORKED FOR ‘KAMALA’ & NOW THE BIDEN-HARRIS CAMPAIGN."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump makes his way inside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse in New York on April 4, 2023. (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)
The 2024 Republican presidential candidate's sons have also posted stories on their social media accounts about the work the jurist's daughter did for President Joe Biden's campaign.
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Merchan oversaw Anna Gristina's plea deal in 2012 for running a high-end escort service that catered to celebrities and politicians. The suburban housewife's case inspired the 2021 Lifetime movie "Soccer Mom Madam."