A judge’s decision imposing a gag order that forbids him from criticizing prospective witnesses in his future trial about his attempts to retain power beyond the 2020 election has been appealed, former president Trump stated on Monday.
Shortly after the decision, which also affects prosecutors, court personnel, and their families, Trump said on Truth Social that he intended to appeal.
“Today a judge put on a gag order. I’ll be the only politician in history that runs with a gag order where I’m not allowed to criticize people. Can you imagine this? We’ll appeal it and we’ll see. But it’s so unconstitutional. The good thing is we have so much support it’s incredible.” Trump told a crowd of supporters.
He subsequently discussed the decision at a rally with supporters in Iowa.
In a hearing on Monday, Judge Tanya Chutkan stated that Trump’s status as a candidate did not allow him the right to launch a “smear campaign” against people connected to the case.
She did, however, make it clear that the injunction would not prevent Trump from criticizing President Biden or asserting that the prosecution is politically motivated, which the Justice Department once more refuted at the hearing.
The decision was made in response to a request by the Justice Department to restrict attacks on the case that included derogatory, inflammatory, and menacing statements.
Since being indicted in August for trying to stay in power after the 2020 election, Trump has regularly criticized Chutkan, special counsel Jack Smith, Biden, and Washington, D.C., in social media posts and speeches.
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