GOP in battleground states rip Trump trial judge's ‘dangerous’ ruling

EXCLUSIVE: The judge presiding over former President Donald Trump's ongoing New York City trial is taking heat from a rare coalition formed to jointly condemn his "dangerous" gag order ruling that it says "poses a dire threat to our democracy."

The group, made up mostly of prominent Republican candidates running in battleground states crucial to flipping the Senate red in November, includes Pennsylvania's Dave McCormick, Wisconsin's Eric Hovde, Ohio's Bernie Moreno, Michigan's Mike Rogers, Arizona's Kari Lake, Indiana's Jim Banks, Nevada's Sam Brown, Montana's Tim Sheehy and West Virginia's Jim Justice.

All signed onto a joint statement condemning Judge Juan Merchan's imposition of the "unconstitutional" gag order, which Trump himself has called "election interference."

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"We have deep concerns regarding the gag order imposed on President Trump, as it fundamentally violates constitutional principles and threatens the very essence of freedom of speech and expression in the middle of an election," the group said.

"The First Amendment of the United States Constitution explicitly guarantees the right to freedom of speech, stating that ‘Congress shall make no law... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.’ This fundamental right is not contingent upon one's political affiliation or position of power," they said.

The group went on to say that "any attempt to silence or restrict the speech of a candidate for president undermines the core values upon which our democracy is built," and it set a "dangerous precendent" for presidents and other elected officials in the future.

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"If we allow