Donald Trump hit with social media gag by judge in hush money case
New York, New York - Donald Trump and his legal team have taken another hit as the judge overseeing his hush money case has ordered him from publicly sharing details about the case.
According to CNN, Judge Juan Merchan approved the request from the Manhattan district attorney’s office for a protective order on Monday.
The office argued that since the case began, Trump has been posting incendiary statements on social media about New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who is leading the case, and witnesses in the trial.
Attorneys for Trump opposed the order, arguing that it violated his First Amendment rights, but the judge disagreed.
Merchan ruled that Trump is restricted from sharing evidence pertaining to the case on "any news or social media platforms, including, but not limited, to Truth Social, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Snapchat, or YouTube, without prior approval from the Court."
Trump is being investigated for his role in falsifying business records during the 2016 presidential elections, including hush money that was paid to porn star Stormy Daniels to cover up her claims of an affair.
The former president was arraigned in April, where he was charged with 34 counts of felony fraud, to which he pled not guilty.
Trump has actively posted about the case, as well as writer E. Jean Carroll's civil lawsuit against him, on his Truth Social platform.
Cover photo: SCOTT OLSON / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP