Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in New York hush-money criminal case

 Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in New York hush-money criminal case

Donald Trump objected in particular to what he said was her specious social media photo showing him behind bars.

Donald Trump lashed out on Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order ahead of his April 15 hush-money criminal trial, suggesting without evidence that the veteran jurist was kowtowing to his daughter's interests as a Democratic political consultant.

The former president objected in particular to what he said was her specious social media photo showing him behind bars.

Mr. Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, posted on social media that the gag order issued on Tuesday was “illegal, un-American, unConstitutional".

his company's books when they were for Cohen's work during the 2016 campaign covering up negative stories about Trump.

That included $130,000 Cohen paid Daniels on Trump's behalf so she wouldn't publicise her claim of a sexual encounter with him years earlier.

Trump pleaded not guilty last April to 34 counts of falsifying business records, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, though there is no guarantee that a conviction would result in jail time. He denies having sex with Daniels and his lawyers have said that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses, not part of any coverup.

In issuing the gag order, Merchan cited Trump's history of “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating” remarks about people involved in his legal cases. A violation could result in Trump being held in contempt of court, fined or even jailed.

Though not covered by the restrictions, Merchan referenced Trump's various comments about him as an example of his rhetoric. The gag order mirrors one imposed and largely upheld by a federal appeals court panel in Trump's Washington, D.C., election interference criminal case.

Trump's lawyers fought a gag order, warning it would amount to unconstitutional and unlawful prior restraint on his free speech rights.

Merchan had long resisted imposing one, recognizing Trump's “special” status as a former president and current candidate and not wanting to trample his ability to defend himself publicly.

But, he said, as the trial nears, he found that his obligation to ensuring the integrity of the case outweighs First Amendment concerns. He said Trump's statements have induced fear and necessitated added security measures to protect his targets and investigate threats.