New York judge silences Trump on social media posts about hush money case

A New York judge has barred former President Donald Trump from posting on social media concerning evidence in the criminal case related to hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels.

State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan’s order said anyone who has access to the evidence cannot “copy, disseminate or disclose” the evidence to any third party, including social media, without court approval, Bloomberg reported.

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Trump can review “limited” materials “in the presence of defense counsel, but defendant shall not be permitted to copy, photograph, transcribe or otherwise independently possess the evidence,” according to the judge’s order.

Merchan also restricted Trump from publicly discussing witnesses or evidence in the case.

The case in question centers on an alleged $130,000 hush money payment to Daniels to keep her from coming forward about an alleged affair between her and Trump. The former president was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury in March for his role in the scandal. He has pleaded not guilty to all 34 charges.

Prosecutors in April sought a protective order against Trump, claiming Trump made threatening and derogatory public statements about Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and the case. Bragg also cited Trump’s history of attacking prosecutors online as a reason for the order.

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The hush money case is one of Trump’s current legal battles. Trump is also facing a defamation lawsuit that includes an accusation from E. Jean Carroll that the former president raped her in the 1990s, and he’s facing a civil lawsuit for fraud.

Trump is also being investigated for possibly obstructing the investigation into how classified records wound up at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, and whether he influenced the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.