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Former President Trump slammed what he described as an “unconstitutional” gag order imposed on him during his trial in Manhattan while pinning blame for the trial and ongoing anti-Israel protests unfolding on college campuses nationwide on President Biden.
“We have a gag order, which to me is totally unconstitutional. I’m not allowed to talk, but people are allowed to talk about me. So, they can talk about me,” Trump said outside the New York City courtroom. “They can say whatever they want, they can lie, but I’m not allowed to say anything. I just have to sit back and look at why a conflicted judge has ordered me to have [a] gag order,” he said.
“I don’t think anybody’s ever seen anything like this. I’d love to talk to you people. I’d love to say everything that’s on my mind, but I’m restricted because I have a gag order,” he continued.
Trump was back in court on Tuesday as presiding Judge Juan Merchan held a hearing on the prosecution’s request that Trump be held in contempt for violating the gag order. Merchan imposed the gag order on Trump before the trial began, ordering Trump to abstain from making comments — or directing others to make comments — about witnesses’ potential participation or the prosecution team. The gag order does allow Trump to publicly speak about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
LIVE UPDATES: NY VS TRUMP TRIAL TO RESUME AS FORMER PRESIDENT FIGHTS OFF GAG ORDER ALLEGATIONS
Former President Trump awaits the start of proceedings at Manhattan Criminal Court on April 22, 2024, in New York City. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura/Pool)
Prosecutors during the hearing presented 10 instances in which Trump allegedly violated the gag order in social media posts. The DA’s office argued he should pay a $1,000 fine each for a handful of the instances.
Trump’s legal team pushed back by arguing that the posts in question were examples of the 45th president responding to attacks.
Merchan has not yet issued a decision on whether Trump was in contempt, but he warned the Trump defense team that they were “losing all credibility” during the hearing.
NY VS TRUMP: FIRST WITNESS TAKES STAND IN MANHATTAN COURT
“I’ve asked you eight or nine times, ‘Show me the exact post that he was responding to,’ and you haven’t been able to do that once,” Merchan told Trump attorney Todd Blanche.
A court sketch depicts former President Trump in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City on April 19, 2024. (Christine Cornell)
“I have to tell you right now, you’re losing all credibility in the court,” Merchan said.
President Biden (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images/File)
Trump continued in his comments after court wrapped up the day that the ongoing anti-Israel demonstrations raging on some of the nation’s most elite college campuses are “Biden’s fault,” in addition to the trial itself.
“That’s Biden’s fault,” he said of the school protests. “And by the way, this trial is all Biden.”
“He can’t put two sentences [together], but he’s out campaigning,” Trump continued of Biden. “He’s out campaigning. And I’m here in a courtroom, sitting here … sitting up as straight as I can all day long because, you know what? It’s a very unfair situation.”
NY VS TRUMP: JUDGE WARNS TRUMP TEAM THEY’RE ‘LOSING ALL CREDIBILITY’ IN GAG ORDER HEARING
This sketch from a Manhattan courtroom on April 22, 2024, shows prosecutor Matthew Colangelo making opening statements as former President Trump looks on during Trump’s criminal trial on charges that he falsified business records to conceal money paid to silence porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Trump is charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts.
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The trial focuses on Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, paying former pornographic actor Stormy Daniels $130,000 to allegedly quiet her claims of an alleged extramarital affair she had with Trump in the early 2000s. Trump has denied having an affair with Daniels.
Prosecutors allege the Trump Organization reimbursed Cohen and fraudulently logged the payments as legal expenses.
