Former President Donald Trump lashed out at the judge overseeing his Manhattan criminal hush-money case and his daughter after being hit with a gag order on Tuesday.
Trump on Wednesday accused Judge Juan Merchan of issuing an “illegal, un-American, unConstitutional [sic]” gag order barring him from discussing jurors and potential witnesses in the case as well as court staff, the district attorney’s staff, and their families.
“This Judge, by issuing a vicious “Gag Order,” is wrongfully attempting to deprive me of my First Amendment Right to speak out against the Weaponization of Law Enforcement,” Trump wrote, claiming he has “done nothing wrong.”
Trump, who lashed at Merchan’s daughter on Tuesday, again targeted her in his posts Wednesday morning, claiming she “represents Crooked Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff, and other Radical Liberals” and “has just posted a picture of me behind bars, her obvious goal, and makes it completely impossible for me to get a fair trial.”
“So, let me get this straight, the Judge’s daughter is allowed to post pictures of her ‘dream’ of putting me in jail, the Manhattan D.A. is able to say whatever lies about me he wants, the Judge can violate our Laws and Constitution at every turn, but I am not allowed to talk about the attacks against me, and the Lunatics trying to destroy my life, and prevent me from winning the 2024 Presidential Election, which I am dominating?” Trump continued in another post.
“Maybe the Judge is such a hater because his daughter makes money by working to ‘Get Trump,’ and when he rules against me over and over again, he is making her company, and her, richer and richer. How can this be allowed?”
Trump last May in a court filing demanded Merchan recuse himself from the case, citing his daughter’s role as an executive at Authentic Campaigns, a firm that works for various Democrats including Biden. It’s not immediately clear if she still works there, according to CNBC. Merchan refused to step down from the case.
Georgie State University Law Prof. Anthony Michael Kreis noted that Trump is “free” to attack Merchan’s daughter under the gag order issues on Tuesday but “it is not wise to antagonize a judge.”
He's free to do so by the terms of the gag order; although it is not wise to antagonize a judge. https://t.co/Vi0CwAOO4Y pic.twitter.com/9MiLphmvG9
— Anthony Michael Kreis (@AnthonyMKreis) March 27, 2024
