Trump asks judge to lift gag order

Former President Trump’s lawyers have asked the judge overseeing his hush money criminal case to lift the gag order placed on his speech now that the trial is over.

Judge Juan Merchan earlier this year banned Trump from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors, court staff and prosecutors. The order was later expanded to include family members of prosecutors or the judge, following a series of attacks against Merchan’s daughter, who served as an executive at a progressive political consulting firm.

The order never stopped Trump from targeting Merchan or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D).

Prosecutors argued that the gag order would “protect the integrity of this criminal proceeding and prevent prejudice to the jury.” Merchan agreed, writing that Trump’s tactic of targeting people involved in his legal affairs and their families “injects fear” into the process.

“Now that the trial has concluded, the concerns articulated by the government and the Court do not justify continued restrictions on the First Amendment rights of President Trump – who remains the leading candidate in the 2024 presidential election – and the American people,” argue the Trump lawyers. Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote a premotion letter on Tuesday, clearly stating that they do not admit the order was valid and reserve the right to challenge the “irreparable First Amendment harm” it caused.

As reasons for lifting the gag order, Trump’s lawyers pointed to an event outside Manhattan Criminal Court on May 28 where actor Robert De Niro and two police officers on January 6 criticized Trump on behalf of President Biden’s campaign. , and Biden’s own comments after Trump’s jury reached a “guilty” verdict Thursday on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

“The American principle that no one is above the law has been reaffirmed. Donald Trump was given every opportunity to defend himself. It was a state case, not a federal case,” Biden said last week. citizens…like millions of Americans who have served on juries, this jury was chosen the same way all juries in America were chosen.”

The former president’s lawyer noted that the first presidential debate between Biden and Trump, scheduled for June 27, is quickly approaching.

Additionally, Trump’s lawyers pointed to “continued public attacks” from the state’s key witnesses, Michael Cohen and Stormy Daniels, following the verdict.

Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, has said since the verdict that as long as he and Trump “exist on this planet at the same time,” Trump will try to hurt him — and he will “never be a punching bag for Donald Trump or anyone.”

Daniels, the porn star who was paid to keep quiet about her alleged affair with Trump before the 2016 election, said she thinks Trump should “be sentenced to prison and some community service.”

Trump has launched attacks against family members of judges in all of his court cases and against family members of other political enemies.

He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11 in his criminal silence case, just days before he officially becomes the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story