Donald Trump claimed on Truth Social that Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democratic presidential hopeful, is orchestrating a politically motivated persecution against him, which he described as a “witch hunt”.
According to a report by NBC News on Saturday, August 3, 2024, Trump asserts that numerous legal experts and commentators have universally condemned the case against him as a sham and a hoax, insisting he’s done nothing wrong.
”Can anybody believe that I am still under a harsh Gag Order, placed on me by a Highly Conflicted, Unelected, and Acting New York Judge, which makes it very difficult to Campaign, especially when Crazy Kamala Harris is using this Witch Hunt against me,” Trump wrote.
He claims that multiple reports have highlighted the judge’s overreach, framing the decision as a politically motivated attack on him, a rival of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.
A New York state appeals court upheld a gag order in Trump’s hush-money case on Thursday, denying his attempt to have the order lifted and restricting his ability to publicly comment on the case.
In a slight easing of the gag order, Judge Juan Merchan’s recent ruling allowed Donald Trump to make some public statements about the case, although certain restrictions still remain in place.
In May, Donald Trump was found guilty of charges connected to the payment of hush money to Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress, in an effort to keep their alleged affair quiet.
The gag order restricts Donald Trump from making public statements about specific individuals, including jurors, prosecutors, Judge Juan Merchan’s family members, and notably, Merchan’s daughter Loren, who previously worked on Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, to prevent potential bias or influence in the case. report from AP News.
The gag order will remain in effect until Trump’s sentencing on September 18, just seven weeks before the November 5 election.
“It is unprecedented in United States History,” Trump added.
“The Gag Order should be voided at once and, based on the Immunity Decision just handed down by the United States Supreme Court, and for many other reasons, this case should be Immediately terminated!”
House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) sent a letter to Loren Merchan, who is Judge Juan Merchan’s daughter and the president of an advertising agency that primarily works with Democratic clients, raising potential concerns about a conflict of interest.
In his letter to Loren Merchan, Jim Jordan stated that experts have testified to the Committee about Judge Merchan’s alleged mistakes during Trump’s trial, which they claim denied Trump a fair trial, infringed on his free speech rights, and violated due process.
Specifically, Jordan cited the admission of questionable evidence and limitations on Trump’s ability to respond to it, which he believes unfairly prejudiced the case against Trump.
“Judge Merchan issued a gag order to prohibit President Trump from making statements about the judge’s family members, including you and your political advocacy work on behalf of Democrats.
Judge Merchan refused to recuse himself, despite his close ties to Democrat-aligned interests and the likelihood that your political advocacy firm could benefit financially from his rulings,” Jordan continued
Jim Jordan highlighted that Judge Merchan’s bias was so apparent that even a left-leaning former federal prosecutor criticized his decision not to recuse himself, emphatically stating that he should have done so due to the clear appearance of impartiality.
Jim Jordan accused the prosecution of being politically driven and suggested that legislation is being considered to prevent similar cases in the future.
The proposed bill would allow a current or former president to transfer a case from a potentially biased local court to a more impartial federal court, which would have prevented Judge Merchan from presiding over Trump’s trial if it were already in place.
