Former President Donald Trump said he will appeal a gag order imposed on him Monday in a federal criminal case in which he is charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 election, saying the judge’s restriction on his speech is « so unconstitutional. »
Former President Donald Trump said he will appeal a gag order imposed on him Monday in a federal criminal case in which he is charged with attempting to overturn the 2020 election, saying the judge’s restriction on his speech is “so unconstitutional.”
Speaking to supporters in Adel, Iowa, Mr. Trump said the gag order imposed by U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, an Obama appointee, is unprecedented.
“I will be the only politician in history that runs with a gag order where I am not allowed to criticize people. Do you believe this?” said Mr. Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination. “I am not allowed to criticize people. We will appeal it.”
Before the decision, Mr. Trump spent weeks targeting special counsel Jack Smith, attacking the courts and the judicial system as politically motivated to derail his campaign.
The former president steered clear of those sorts of attacks Monday at his first campaign stop after the gag order was imposed. He did, however, reiterate his criticism of the Justice Department, saying it has been weaponized against him.
“I got indicted more than Alphonse Capone,” Mr. Trump said. “I am not supposed to be talking about things that bad people do.”
Mr. Trump faces a raft of criminal charges over trying to cover up payments to a porn star, the mishandling of classified documents, and interfering in the 2020 election results.
Judge Chutkan’s partial gag order ordered him to stop attacking witnesses, prosecutors, and court staff involved in the 2020 election case.
