'Just a lie': Fact-checker disproves Trump's latest claim about his criminal trial
Former President Donald Trump emerged from the latest day of his criminal hush money trial in Manhattan to tell reporters that he probably wouldn't be testifying — because he wasn't allowed to. "I'm not allowed to testify because of the unconstitutional gag order, we're appealing the gag order and let's see what happens," he said.
But that is completely wrong, said CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale.
"He kept saying he's not allowed to testify," said anchor Jake Tapper.
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"That is just a lie, Jake. He is absolutely permitted to testify in his own defense," said Dale. "And this false claim, this lie is part of a pattern of former President Trump grossly exaggerating what the gag order actually says. He said at a campaign rally yesterday that because the gag order, he shouldn't even be talking to you, his audience."
Contrary to all these assertions, Dale continued, "the gag order does nothing to prevent him from speaking to political audiences, from delivering social media posts about politics and policy, from speaking to the media. It does not prevent him from attacking the judge, the district attorney prosecuting this case, President Biden..." Instead, he explained, "it is tailored to three specific kinds of speech. He cannot talk about jurors in this case. He cannot talk about a reasonably foreseeable witnesses in this case with the specific intention of interfering with their participation in the case. And he can't talk about court staff or their families, junior prosecutors, or their families, and so on."
"So this claim that the gag order means he can't testify, it's just conjured out of thin air," said Dale. "Trump has gone from saying that he will testify, to he maybe will testify, to if it's necessary, to now, whoa, I can't testify, it's out of my hands. But it's in his hands. He can testify, and he's just making stuff up."
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