'They’ve Taken Away My Constitutional Rights': Donald Trump Demands Gag Order Be Lifted in Stormy Daniels Hush Money Case

Former President Donald Trump attacked Judge Juan Merchan, demanding the lifting of a gag order imposed on him in the ongoing Stormy Daniels hush money trial in New York.

The incident took place as Trump entered the courthouse for the fourth day of his trial, where he expressed his grievances against the legal proceedings.

The ex-president started his courthouse rant by targeting Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

"I’ve been saying for a long while this is a rigged trial. It’s coming from the White House," he told a group of reporters outside the courtroom. "They have White House DOJ people in the trial in the DA’s office representing the DA, because he’s probably not smart enough to represent himself."

"This guy got elected using Trump. And you’re not supposed to do that. Very much like Letitia James. All of New York is going down as a very corrupt place to do business. A lot of people are not going to be moving to New York," he continued.

During his remarks, Trump also specifically targeted the judge, reiterating his discontent with the gag order placed on him, restricting his ability to publicly defend himself.

"The gag order has to come off. People are allowed to speak about me and I have a gag order — just to show you how much more unfair it is," he continued to ramble off. "And the conflict has to end with the judge. The judge has a conflict the worst I’ve ever seen, and it has to end with the judge. The gag order has to come off. I should be allowed to speak every time I come out to speak to you. I want to be open because we did absolutely nothing wrong."

"They’ve taken away my constitutional rights to speak, and that includes speaking to you," the former president continued. "I have a lot to say to you, and I’m not allowed to say it. And I’m the only one. Everyone else can say whatever they want about me. They can say anything they want. They can continue to make up lies and everything I say lie. They’re real scum!"

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Trump has already been accused of violating Judge Merchan’s gag order multiple times. He will now face a hearing on April 23 to determine if he has violated the order and what action will be taken.

Despite the legal constraints imposed on him, Trump still claims he is innocent of every charge in the case, citing the absence of concrete evidence against him.

The jury in the hush money case has been selected, and the trial is set to begin later this month.