Posting on his Truth Social social media platform on Wednesday, May 8, former President Donald Trump sounded off on Judge Merchan, the judge in the hush money case he faces in New York City over what Manhattan DA Bragg alleges was his incorrect recording of the payment as a legal expense when it should have been marked as a campaign contribution. Particularly, Trump skewered Judge Merchan over the gag order placed on him.
As background, Judge Merchan placed a gag order on Trump to stop him from speaking about some aspects of the case and the individuals involved in it. Trump has spoken out despite the order multiple times, causing Judge Merchan to fine him and even threaten to jail him over the repeated violations. Trump, for his part, has said that the Constitution and free speech are more important.
Speaking more about the gag order in a furious post on Truth Social, Trump said that it is a “really bad feeling” to have free speech stripped away “unfairly,” particularly when all manner of awful people are able to attack you without having to fear a response.
As he put it in the beginning of the angry Truth post, “It is a really bad feeling to have your Constitutional Right to Free Speech, such a big part of life in our Country, so unfairly taken from you, especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want.”
Continuing, he argued that it is unfair that he has to sit back and take in all of the many attacks on him, despite those attacks being “lies and false statements,” without saying anything, because even the slightest comment could lead to potential prison time.
He said, commenting on that aspect of the gag order Judge Merchan placed on him, “It is hard to sit back and listen to lies and false statements be made against you knowing that if you respond, even in the most modest fashion, you are told by a Corrupt and Highly Conflicted Judge that you will be PUT IN PRISON, maybe for a long period of time.”
He then accused those going after him of having a “fascist mindset” and claimed that the effort is meant to prevent him from making it to the White House again and help keep Joe Biden there. He said, “This Fascist mindset is all coming from D.C. It is a sophisticated hit job on Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME!. Judges Engoron and Kaplan, also of New York, are equally Corrupt, only in different ways.”
Concluding, he alleged that the attack is on the GOP and America herself, then ended with the famous Patrick Henry line. He said, “What these THUGS are doing is AN ATTACK ON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION ITSELF. OUR FIRST AMENDMENT MUST STAND, FREE AND STRONG. “GIVE ME LIBERTY OR GIVE ME DEATH!’”
Trump also spoke about the gag order in a powerful video posted to Truth Social. Watch that short video here:
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