Donald Trump responded this Wednesday to Juan Merchán, the judge who threatened to send him to jail if he continued to violate the gag order imposed on him in his ongoing criminal trial.
The former president expressed his frustration through Truth Social for what he considers a violation of his constitutional right to freedom of expression and denounced once again that the entire judicial process against him is a political attack.
"It is a really bad feeling to have your constitutional right to free speech (...) especially when all of the sleazebags, lowlifes, and grifters that you oppose are allowed to say absolutely anything that they want," he said.
Trump stressed that it is extremely difficult for him not to defend himself first against the "lies and false statements" that are said against him and insisted that the entire trial against him is a "sophisticated" plan by President Joe Biden to attack him.
"What these thugs are doing is an attack on the Republican Party, and our once great nation itself," he commented, pointing out that Judges Engoron and Kaplan are also corrupt.
The former president concluded his post by insisting on the importance of defending the First Amendment. "Our First Amendment must stand, free and strong. 'Give me liberty or give me death!'" he wrote, quoting American founding father Patrick Henry.
The threat of Merchán
Recently, during the third week of Trump's trial, Judge Merchán said he regretted that the fines imposed for violations of the gag order were not having the expected effect, so he indicated that he could choose to send him to jail as punishment.
"Criminal contempt is punishable by a fine not exceeding $1,000, by jail not exceeding 30 days or by both in the discretion of the court, for each violation of a court order," he said.
The gag order
Merchán imposed a gag order on Trump before the judicial process began in New York to prevent the former president from making public statements about the witnesses, the lawyers in the case or the court personnel in charge of the trial.
