JUST IN: Donald Trump Rages on Truth After Judge Orders Him Silent on Social Media
Former President Donald Trump has taken to social media – to complain about the fact that he can’t post on
Tristan Green
Former President Donald Trump has taken to social media – to complain about the fact that he can’t post on social media.
Late yesterday, the judge overseeing the “hush money” case in New York issued a protective order that would limit what Trump can say about the ongoing case as he faces 34 felony counts.
And today, deliberations begin in the rape defamation lawsuit brought against Trump by writer E Jean Carroll, who alleges that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in 1996, and then later defamed her when denying the assault.
Trump has taken to social media to complain about his inability to rage against his enemies even as he’s under scrutiny for drumming up violence on January 6, 2021.
See: DONALD TRUMP RUSHES BACK TO MANHATTAN TO ‘CONFRONT’ E JEAN CARROLL
Donald Trump Takes to Truth Social
Judge Juan Merchan has ordered that Trump not post or disseminate information about certain topics related to the Manhattan “hush money” case.
The Hill reports, “Judge Juan Merchan sided with Manhattan prosecutors with an order stating that material and information provided to the defense team for Trump is ‘solely for the purposes of preparing a defense in this matter,’ NBC News reported.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over his alleged role in a hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels to cover up an alleged affair ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He pleaded not guilty.
NBC News also reported that the order said that anyone with access to the evidence handed over to Trump’s team ‘shall not copy, disseminate or disclose’ the material, including on social media, without getting approval by the court.”
The order clarifies that Trump can only view sensitive materials in the presence of his lawyers, and “shall not be permitted to copy, photograph, transcribe, or otherwise independently possess the Limited Dissemination Materials.”
Trump posted on Truth Social this morning about the order, in a move with zero sense of irony.
The former President wrote, “Waiting for a jury decision on a False Accusation where I, despite being a current political candidate and leading all others in both parties, am not allowed to speak or defend myself, even as hard nosed reporters scream questions about this case at me. In the meantime, the other side has a book falsely accusing me of Rape, & is working with the press. I will therefore not speak until after the trial, but will appeal the Unconstitutional silencing of me, as a candidate, no matter the outcome!”
Does His Status as a Candidate Matter?
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It’s worth pointing out where Trump says he is a “current political candidate” who is “not allowed to speak or defend” himself.
It’s likely that Trump announcing his candidacy as early as he did was in the hope that being a political candidate would grant him some legal immunity.
And Trump’s post today is a prime example of that hope being dashed.
While political candidates do have some extra protection – in order to avoid the Department of Justice having any bias against a current candidate – it would seem that there’s far less protection that Trump hoped.
Trump’s prospects on a personal and legal level are not good.
He’s facing 34 felony counts (including fraud) in New York, will likely face more indictments in Georgia over election interference and in Florida over mishandling of classified documents, and could face some culpability for the violence on January 6, 2021.
And before all of that, Trump still has to get through this week and the lawsuit by Carroll – which seems to not be going his way. Carroll’s case was methodical and thorough, and Trump’s desire to return from overseas to “confront” her – which he never ended up doing – looks like someone who’s desperate to turn the dialogue in his favor.
Jury deliberations on the Carroll case begin today, so it’s likely that the judgment will be handed down quickly. Trump can’t face jail time over this case, but he can end up owing several million dollars if it all goes Carroll’s way.
It’s hard to imagine a time when Trump wants to have free reign on Truth Social more than now, but he will be limited on the Manhattan case, and could be limited in regards to other upcoming cases as well.