'I'm not supposed to be talking': Trump whines about gag order to Iowa rally crowd
Former President Donald Trump complained about the new gag order imposed on him in the D.C. election interference trial by Judge Tanya Chutkan during a campaign stop in Iowa Monday.
"I'm not supposed to be talking about things that bad people do," Trump complained.
He added that they are "weaponizing" the Justice Department against him, complaining that even Al Capone, who would have had federal agents shot for daring to indict him, was not indicted as many times as he has been. And he continued to insist the election had in fact been "rigged" against him, at one point plugging the discredited "2,000 Mules" documentary which purported to show illegal ballot harvesting in the 2020 election.
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The gag order, imposed just hours before this speech, doesn't categorically ban him from discussing or criticizing any elements of the case outside the courtroom. However, it prohibits Trump from attacking special counsel and lead prosecutor Jack Smith, members of his family, court staff, or any witnesses who might be called in the case.
Following the ruling, a spokesperson for Trump released a statement saying, "Today's decision is an absolute abomination and another partisan knife stuck in the heart of our Democracy by Crooked Joe Biden, who was granted the right to muzzle his political opponent."
The former president has also vowed to appeal the order to a higher court, proclaiming himself to be the victim of a "witch hunt."