Former President Trump brought up Vice President Harris in his latest attack over the gag order in his hush money case, claiming that her campaign is using it against Trump.
“Who could believe that I am under a strict gag order from a highly vested, unelected, sitting New York judge?” he said. I have written “It makes campaigning so much harder, especially when crazy Kamala Harris is using this witch hunt against me,” she said at Truth Social on Friday night.
A New York appeals court on Thursday rejected a motion by Trump’s lawyers to lift a post-conviction gag order. Judge Juan Marchan’s latest ruling loosened restrictions, including allowing the former president to comment publicly about witnesses and jurors, but still limits his ability to attack prosecutors in the case. He was convicted in May of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Democrats have used former President Trump’s 34 felony convictions as leverage against him in campaign materials, but the executive order itself does not prevent Trump or Republicans from firing back and launching attacks.
A gag order prevents him from speaking out about prosecutors or his family, but he has been able to continue attacking Marchan and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg throughout the trial.
Trump has repeatedly argued the gag order violates the First Amendment and places unjust restrictions on his campaign. In a post on Truth Social, the former president called the case a “scam” and a “hoax.”
“Article after article has been written that the judge had no right to act in this way and that this was a political decision against Unscrupulous Joe Biden and his Crazy Kamala opponent,” he wrote.
There is no evidence linking President Biden or Ms Harris to President Trump’s New York lawsuit.
Trump also suggested the case should be “closed” under the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity, which gives the president criminal immunity for any official conduct he performs. The hush money was paid during his 2016 presidential campaign, before he took office.
“The gag order should be immediately vacated and, based on the exemption decision issued by the U.S. Supreme Court, and for many other reasons, this lawsuit should be summarily terminated,” he concluded.
