Trump rips 'unconstitutional' gag order: 'I am not allowed to respond'

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday fumed over a gag order that the judge imposed in his ongoing criminal trial.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has charged Trump with 34 counts, alleging that he falsified business records in connection with a 2016 payment his then-attorney, Michael Cohen, made to Stormy Daniels. Judge Juan Merchan, moreover, has imposed a gag order limiting Trump's public commentary about key figures in the case.

"The Gag Order imposed on me, a political candidate running for the highest office in the land, is totally UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Nothing like this has ever happened before," he posted on Truth Social. "The Conflicted Judge’s friends and party members can say whatever they want about me, but I am not allowed to respond. The Trial is Rigged and should never have been allowed to take place on a charge that virtually every legal scholar and expert say is bogus, THERE IS NO CRIME. This is a Political Witch Hunt - ELECTION INTERFERENCE!"

Earlier in the week, Merchan deferred judgement on whether to hold Trump in contempt for allegedly violating the gag order in the case. Bragg had sought a $1,000 fine for each of 10 Truth Social posts Trump made that they say violated its terms.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.