Trump demands 'immediate' release from gag order stopping him from identifying jurors

Donald Trump Wednesday ranted against the gag order imposed on him by New York justice Juan Merchan in his hush money case.

The former president was found guilty in May by a jury on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 election, and Trump remains bound by a limited gag order prohibiting him from releasing identifying information about the jurors or commenting on prosecutors, court staff and their families until he is sentenced next month.

"The Gag Order applied by Highly Conflicted Acting Justice Merchan is horrible and unAmerican," Trump posted on Truth Social. "I am the Leading Candidate in the Election, having beaten all Republicans, and now beating the second Democrat Nominee, Comrade Kamala Harris, who was put in as a result of a COUP against Crooked Joe Biden. When asked about the lawless Manhattan D.A. Hoax, I am not allowed to talk about the most important and corrupt aspects of it, because of the completely unConstitutional Gag Order."

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The judge lifted portions of the gag order after his conviction, allowing Trump to comment on witnesses and jurors, but he was fined several times for a total of $10,000 during the trial for violating the order.

"I am the first Candidate in American History who is not allowed to freely speak about a major Witch Hunt being perpetrated against him," Trump posted. "I must be immediately released from the Gag Order, so I can continue to expose the Weaponization of our Justice System by the Radical Democrats. The GOOD NEWS is that the American People see through these Witch Hunts, and will bring us a dominant Victory on November 5th. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"

Merchan delayed Trump's sentencing from July to Sept. 18 so he could consider how the U.S. Supreme Court decision on presidential immunity would affect his New York case, which concluded a little over a month before that ruling in his Jan. 6 federal case, which was revised Tuesday with a superseding indictment filed by special counsel Jack Smith.