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Former president Donald Trump lashed out against U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan hours after being issued a gag order in the federal 2020 election interference trial.
During a campaign event in Adel, Iowa, on Monday,the former president aired his grievances to the crowd of his supporters, claiming that it was “totally unconstitutional what she did.”
“A judge doesn’t like me too much. Her whole life is not liking me,” Trump claimed, before continuing, “You know what a gag order is? ‘You can’t speak badly about your opponent.’ This is weaponry all being done because Joe Biden is losing the election and losing very, very badly to all of us.”
On Monday morning, Judge Chutkan partially granted a request from the Justice Department to limit Trump’s ability to make public statements attacking prosecutors, witnesses, and court staff involved in the case and curb his use of social media and public events to comment on the trial.
“Mr. Trump is facing criminal charges,” the judgetold the court. “He does not get to respond to every criticism of him if his response would affect potential witnesses. That’s the bottom line here.”
Earlier this month, theformer president was hit with a separate partial gag order at his civil fraud trialbrought against him by the state ofNew York. After targeting a member of Judge Arthur Engoron’s staff, the judge issued arestraining orderbarring the former president, and anyone else involved in the trial, from “posting, emailing, or speaking publicly about any of my staff.”
In September, in the first major lawsuit to blockTrumpfromColorado‘s 2024 presidential ballot, a state judge issued a protective order prohibiting threats and intimidation in the case. Trump, the first former president to bechargedwith state or federal crimes, wasindictedin August over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and an anti-democratic campaign that culminated in theJan. 6Capitol attack. He is facing a total offour separate indictments.
