Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing former President Donald Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan, issued a gag order against the 45th president on Tuesday.
The order from the New York State Supreme Court justice bars Trump from speaking publicly about witnesses and counsel involved in the case, except for New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg. It also prevents Trump from making public comments about staff of the court and district attorney.
Moreover, the order extends to family members of both court staff and Bragg’s staff. It also prohibits Trump from commenting publicly “about any prospective juror or any juror in this criminal proceeding.”
The order comes hours after Trump went after Merchan and his daughter in a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning and a day after Merchan set the trial date in the case for April 15.
Trump wrote Tuesday:
Judge Juan Merchan, a very distinguished looking man, is nevertheless a true and certified Trump Hater who suffers from a very serious case of Trump Derangement Syndrome. In other words, he hates me! His daughter is a senior executive at a Super Liberal Democrat firm that works for Adam “Shifty” Schiff, the Democrat National Committee, (Dem)Senate Majority PAC, and even Crooked Joe Biden. He was recently the judge on an unrelated trial of a long term employee, elderly and not in good health. This judge treated him viciously, telling him either you cooperate or I’m putting you in jail for 15 years. He pled, and went to jail for very minor offenses, highly unusual, served 4 months in Rikers, and now they are after him again, this time for allegedly lying (doesn’t look like a lie to me!), and they threatened him again with 15 years if he doesn’t say something bad about “TRUMP.” He is devastated and scared! These COUNTRY DESTROYING SCOUNDRELS & THUGS HAVE NO CASE AGAINST ME. WITCH HUNT!
Trump faces 34 counts in the case related to alleged falsification of business records.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
