'Wow': Analyst says Trump's latest hush money courthouse rant may have violated gag order

Former President Donald Trump may have violated his gag order Monday when he spoke to reporters outside his criminal hush money trial, according a political analyst.

Washington Post reporter Aaron Blake raised concerns about Trump's statement regarding Robert Costello, the defense witness whose questionable courtroom antics saw Justice Juan Merchan clear the courtroom so he could chastise him.

"You saw what happened to a highly respected lawyer today, Bob Costello," Trump told reporters in a speech that also quoted a 1990s romantic comedy. "Wow."

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Blake argued Trump may have violated a longstanding gag order against him.

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"Trump's gag order bars him from "making ... public statements about known or reasonably foreseeable witnesses," Blake noted. "Costello is a witness."

Costello, a former federal prosecutor, was brought in to poke holes in the credibility of Trump former fixer and attorney-turned foe Michael Cohen.

Trump has already been fined $9,000 for gag order violations and warned by Merchan that he could face jail time if he violated the order gain.

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"Going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction," Merchan told Trump.

Trump stands accused of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments ahead of the 2016 presidential election by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

The former president pleaded not guilty to the charges and contends he is the victim of a political witch hunt, a claim political analysts have repeatedly noted cannot be substantiated with evidence.

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