(DailyEmailNews.com) – After seeing his First Amendment rights violated, former President Donald Trump has been allowed to speak out against witnesses and jurors involved in his recent conviction in New York, where he faced 34 criminal charges last month.
Judge Juan Merchan relaxed parts of the gag order that had previously restricted Trump from making public comments about some aspects of the case.
This decision was made just days before Trump is set to debate Joe Biden, with Trump’s legal troubles expected to be a major topic.
Before confirming the debate, Biden had provoked Trump regarding his criminal trial and questioned whether he would be available for debate day, implying it could be disrupted by court obligations.
Since Trump’s conviction, the Biden campaign has been openly critical and released an ad labeling Trump as a convicted felon.
The debate, which CNN is scheduled to broadcast live from Atlanta, will last 90 minutes and take place on tomorrow evening.
While some restrictions of the gag order will remain in place until Trump’s sentencing next month, the charges he faces could result in a prison sentence of up to four years for each count. However, his sentence is expected to be less severe.
Trump has repeatedly said that Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg is targeting him politically to benefit Biden.
Notably, Judge Merchan, who has contributed to Biden’s previous campaign, tightened the gag order after Trump made public comments about Merchan’s daughter, a Democratic strategist who raised money off the case against Trump.
Trump breached this gag order ten times during his trial, which prompted Merchan to threaten him with jail for further violations.
After the trial, Trump’s legal team requested that the gag order be lifted by arguing that it infringed on his First Amendment rights and hampered his presidential campaign.
The Trump campaign slammed the judge’s decision not to completely lift the gag order before the debate, saying it was biased and restricted Trump’s rights during a critical time.
“This is another unlawful decision by a highly conflicled judge, which is blatantly un-American as it gags President Trump, the leading candidate in the 2024 Presidential Election during the upcoming Presidential Debate on Thursday,” campaign spokesman Steven Cheung stated.
Nevertheless, Trump’s attorneys are expected to appeal the decision soon.
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