Fired former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe told a CNN panel on Monday that New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan’s expanded gag order against former President Donald Trump is an unnecessary “distraction” that likely plays right into his defense strategy.

McCabe, who was dismissed from his position during the Trump administration for allegedly lying to Justice Department investigators about leaking information to the media regarding the Trump-Russia collusion probe, made his remarks to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer after Merchan expanded a previous gag order against the 45th president earlier in the day.

The new order prohibits Trump from attacking the family members of Merchan and Bragg. The expanded order came after Trump criticized Merchan’s daughter, who is a Democratic activist, over a picture she posted on social media showing Trump behind bars.

“Wolf, I’m afraid that the request for clarification by D.A. Bragg is a perfect example of how these gag orders create more of a distraction than they do a productive limitation of…Donald Trump’s speech,” McCabe argued.

He noted further:

I think each time we’ve had a gag order, whether it’s in the civil case, or the gag order in the D.C. federal case that’s already been litigated — each time the Trump team takes advantage of the imposition of those orders to file appeals to request clarification, to make overheated statements. All of that distracts the prosecutors and the prosecution team away from their main role, which is to stay focused on the case and put together the best case they can. I’m just not convinced that these gag orders are worth the effort that has to go behind.

Guest Gloria Borger offered a similar assessment as well: “And I think Trump and his attorneys know exactly what they’re doing, which is trying to delay everything, because you end up going down a rabbit hole of, what do you do with the gag order? Do you challenge the gag order? Do you challenge the judge? And one thing leads to another, and you’re delaying the trial.”

Trump has made several remarks about Justice Merchan’s daughter in recent days, labeling her a “Rabid Trump Hater” and accusing her of sharing anti-Trump pictures on social media. The New York Times noted that the gag order was extended at Bragg’s request.