(AFP) – A judge eased a gag order on Tuesday that was imposed on Donald Trump during his criminal trial which saw him convicted of 34 counts, according to a court filing.
Judge Juan Merchan imposed the limited gag order ahead of the trial, restricting Trump from commenting publicly on jurors, witnesses, prosecutors and court staff, later expanding it to include his own family and that of the prosecutor.
Merchan, who will sentence the presidential hopeful on July 11, said that “circumstances have now changed. The trial portion of these proceedings ended when the verdict was rendered, and the jury discharged.”
The order means Trump, the first ever former US president to be convicted of a felony, can now comment publicly about witnesses who testified at his trial, as well as discuss the jury and their verdict.
But Merchan said that measures barring the disclosure of jurors’ identities would remain in place.
Trump was fined $10,000 by the Manhattan court for breaking the order on 10 occasions — and threatened with jail for openly flouting the judge’s ruling.
Before the gag order was imposed ahead of Trump’s trial, the ex-president repeatedly attacked likely witnesses and the prosecutors via posts on his Truth Social platform.
On May 30 jurors found Trump, who is seeking to retake the presidency in this year’s election, guilty of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign. –
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