Trump rips hush money gag order as ‘illegal, un-American, unconstitutional’

Former President Trump on Wednesday went after a judge in a hush-money trial in New York after the judge placed a gag order on the former president, limiting his ability to speak publicly about the case.

President Trump called the order, the third of his multiple lawsuits, “illegal, un-American” and “unconstitutional,” and Judge Juan Melchán himself characterized the order as politically biased. I attached it.

“By issuing a vicious gag order, this judge is trying to unfairly deprive me of my First Amendment right to oppose the weaponization of law enforcement,” Trump said. real social posts“Even though everyone knows I’ve done nothing wrong, crooked Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and their hack-and-thugs are stalking me across the country. Including the fact that they are relentlessly trying to persecute me!”

Prosecutors allege in the lawsuit that Trump illegally concealed hush money payments he made during the 2016 presidential campaign to conceal a past affair. He has pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying his business records.

Marchan on Monday denied repeated attempts by Trump’s lawyers to further delay the trial, setting the case to go to trial on April 15.

The gag order specifically prohibits President Trump from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors and others during the trial, the first criminal trial for a former president. The order does not mention any public statements about the judge or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

President Trump has previously been subject to two gag orders, the first in a civil fraud trial in New York and the second in an ongoing Washington-based election interference case. He mocked and challenged his previous orders, but both were upheld.

Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chan on Tuesday criticized the order as preventing the former president from “engaging in core political discourse.”

“Worst, the gag order follows President Trump and violates the civil rights of more than 100 million Americans who have a First Amendment right to receive and hear the president’s speech,” Chan said. . “American voters have a fundamental right to hear uncensored the voices of the leading candidates for this nation’s highest office. President Trump will continue to fight for our country and our Constitution.”