Trump to make video court appearance in ‘hush money’ case

Former President Donald Trump is slated to appear by video in Manhattan court Tuesday afternoon to hear an order barring him from publicly revealing evidence in the criminal “hush money” case he faces.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan earlier this month imposed a slew of restrictions on how Trump, 76, can handle evidence turned over to his defense team by District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office as the ex-president prepares to fight the 34-count indictment.

Trump cannot publicly discuss or disclose any of the sensitive case materials on social media or otherwise, and he can only review the information with his lawyers, according to the May 8 order.

Merchan has said he doesn’t want to infringe on Trump’s First Amendment rights and that the limitations don’t amount to a gag order.

Trump is still allowed to discuss information that is already public in the case, and most evidence that has come from his camp.

The judge is expected to lay out in detail for the 45th president all of the rules for the case evidence during the hearing, courts spokesman Lucian Chalfen confirmed.

The president is expected to acknowledge and agree to follow the order, his lawyer confirmed to The Post.

According to the court order, Trump must also get permission from the judge before he’s allowed to view certain restricted forensic cellphone images of witness cellphones.

Other cellphone forensics he can review with his lawyers without prior permission, the order said.

Prosecutors have said they will only turn over the “millions of pages of discovery” to Trump’s team once he’s “been advised on the record of the terms and content of, and conduct prohibited by, the protective order entered by this court,” according to a filing from May 16.

Bragg’s office sought the protective order citing Trump’s history of social media attacks and claiming that its needed to protect witnesses from potential harassment.

Chalfen said “a number of other topics” will also be addressed at the hearing but didn’t say what they were as they were still being hammered out.

Merchan previously asked both sides to come up with an agreed upon trial date in February or March of 2024.

Trump was charged in April with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records tied to “catch-and-kill” payments made to former porn star Stormy Daniels and to ex-Playboy model Karen McDougal in the lead up to the 2016 election to keep them quiet about their claims they had affairs with the then-candidate.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Trump’s legal team is currently trying to get the case transferred from state court to federal court — a move which is still pending.