Missouri filed a lawsuit against the state of New York on Wednesday seeking to lift the gag order imposed on former President Trump during his hush-hush trial and delay sentencing for his conviction in that case until after the November election.
Trump was convicted of 34 counts of falsifying business records in New York in May. Missouri claims the indictment is politically motivated and is interfering with Missourians’ rights to hear from a presidential candidate, as Trump is currently under a limited gag order related to the case and is scheduled to be sentenced in September.
The Missouri lawsuit asks the Supreme Court to intervene, arguing it has jurisdiction because the lawsuit points to an interstate conflict. The court, which completed its term this week, can decide to accept this case on an emergency basis and make a decision, or reject it.
“I will not sit idly by while Soros-backed prosecutors hold Missouri voters hostage in this presidential election. I am filing suit to ensure that all Missourians can exercise their right to hear and vote for their preferred presidential candidate,” Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey (R) wrote in a statement to The Hill.
The New York attorney general’s office declined to comment on the lawsuit. The Hill has reached out to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office for comment.
Bailey filed the lawsuit shortly after the Supreme Court ruled to expand presidential immunity, stemming from Trump’s federal case in Washington, D.C., related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Since that decision, Trump has filed a motion seeking to overturn his hush money conviction, arguing that it was based on protected communications. Judge Juan Merchan agreed Tuesday to postpone sentencing from mid-July to September.
In the lawsuit, Bailey alleges that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) brought charges against Trump to “boost Joe Biden’s campaign and keep Trump out of the White House,” dubbing the move a “legal war.”
Bailey adds that Bragg’s decision to “campaign his current position by promising to use that experience to prosecute” Trump makes the accusation obviously partisan.
Bailey also alleges that Merchan violated ethics rules by overseeing a case against Trump even after donating to Biden’s campaign. Merchan in 2020 donated $35 to the Democratic group ActBlue, including $15 going to Biden’s campaign.
“Nothing is more destructive to the health of a democracy than distrust in the outcome of an election. And yet, New York filed transparently weak charges with the transparent purpose of trying to impose political harm on Trump and trying to restrict his ability to campaign before an election predicted by polls to be very close,” the lawsuit reads.
Bailey spoke on Fox News last month, where he first floated the idea of suing New York over the conviction, saying it was an “unconstitutional war.”
During that interview, Bailey explained that he believed the lawsuit was necessary to take the case directly to the Supreme Court, since a state that sues another state immediately goes to the high court, while Trump’s appeal would need to go through the state process first.
“It is very likely that Trump’s conviction will be overturned on appeal. But by then, the restrictions New York tried to impose on Trump to limit his ability to campaign will have taken full effect,” Bailey wrote in a press release.
“Missouri has a strong and legally enforceable interest in its citizens and voters being able to listen to the Trump campaign free from any gag order or other interference imposed by the State of New York.”
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
